A popular herb from Southeast Asia, kratom is currently legal in most of the United States, including Illinois. Only two cities in the Illinois State have voted to ban kratom.

In 2017, Jerseyville City banned Mitragyna speciosa. A year later, Alton City did the same, and so did Edwardsville in March 2020.

In the rest of Illinois kratom is freely available for any individual over the age of eighteen.

Illinois Kratom Consumer Protection Act

While legal, Mitragyna speciosa is unregulated in Illinois. However, this may change under the Illinois Kratom Consumer Protection Act, a bill that is currently reviewed by the state authorities.

Introduced on February 18, 2020, the new bill aims to establish a set of regulations that will ensure that state residents can only buy kratom that is unadulterated and uncontaminated.

These regulations will require businesses that sell kratom products to:

• Label their kratom products, disclosing all ingredients as well as the levels of mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine,
• Only sell or prepare kratom products that have no more than 2% 7-hydroxymitragynine of the total alkaloid content,
• Prepare and sell kratom products that do not contain synthetic variations of kratom alkaloids,
• Abstain from manufacturing or distributing kratom products that contain any dangerous substances or ingredients that modify the potency or quality of kratom,
• Only offer and sell kratom products to those older than 18,
• Face administrative charges for not complying with these regulations.

Possible Mitragyna Speciosa Ban in Illinois

While the Illinois Kratom Consumer Protection Act would provide access to pure Mitragyna speciosa across Illinois, another bill may achieve the opposite.

Introduced op the same day, February 18, 2020, another bill intends to schedule kratom. If it succeeds, kratom will become a Schedule II controlled substance along with opium and opiates. While kratom has opioid-like properties, it is not an opiate. Therefore, placing it in this category isn’t accurate.

If you would like to keep kratom legal and accessible in Illinois, it’s a good time to educate those around you about kratom. If you’d like to take a step further, you can support the American Kratom Association and become a kratom advocate.

Learn more about kratom legality in Illinois as well as about kratom legality in the United States.