Is Kratom Legal in Kentucky in 2023?

Kentucky is the 15^th state in the US. It used to be a county before it became a state.

Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis were both born in Kentucky about 100 miles away from each other within less than a year. And Thomas Edison used to work at Western Union in Louisville. Not long though. He spilled sulfuric acid onto his boss’s furniture which got him fired.

Kentucky is also where KFC and the “Happy Birthday” song originated.

But what about the legal status of kratom in Kentucky? Let’s find out.

Is Kratom Legal in Kentucky?

Kratom is legal in Kentucky. In 2016, the Kentucky government intended to ban kratom, but the bill failed. An effort to regulate kratom in 2021 also did not succeed. Kratom remains legal but unregulated in the state of Kentucky.

In 2016, a bill with an aim to define kratom and introduce it in the Kentucky controlled substance act was introduced. The bill intended to include kratom among Schedule I substances and label it as a synthetic opioid.

The bill eventually failed.

However, another action raised concern among kratom supporters in 2017 and 2018. There was a bill that suggested creating Schedule A, a new list of controlled substances. Schedule A would have included substances that have similar properties to ones that are already banned.

Kratom has opioid-like properties, and opioids are banned. Therefore, it would have been highly likely that kratom would have been included in this category. This bill had plenty of opposition. While this bill passed the initial hearings, it did not succeed.

Intent to Regulate Kratom in 2021

In February 2021, a Republican sponsor introduced a new bill that aimed to regulate kratom in Kentucky. The proposed legislation would have introduced the following:

• forbidding kratom vendors to sell, prepare, manufacture, and distribute kratom products that are adulterated or contaminated with harmful non-kratom substances or contain synthetic alkaloids or any other synthetic compounds of the plant,
• prohibiting kratom vendors from selling products that contain over 2% of 7-hydroxymitragynine of the total alkaloid content,
• requiring kratom vendors to adequately label products,
• prohibiting financial institutions to deny or terminate service to a kratom vendor,
• enforcing a fine of up to $1,000 for not complying with the regulations.

This legislation would have provided buyers with safer access to kratom as well as prevented kratom vendors from having issues with financial institutions, such as not being able to accept credit or debit card payments.

Unfortunately, the bill died in committee, leaving kratom legal but unregulated.

Where to Buy Kratom in Kentucky?

It is legal to buy kratom in a number of smoke shops across Louisville and other cities in Kentucky. However, we strongly recommend that you buy kratom online from reputable vendors instead. There are many risks involved when it comes to buying kratom locally.

Local shops frequently mislabel and misrepresent kratom as well as sell it for higher prices. There is a greater chance of getting a high-quality product from kratom-specific online vendors.

If you’d like to see a U.S. kratom legality map and more detailed information on whether kratom is legal in your state, please check out this blog post.