Is Kratom Legal in Missouri in 2023?

Missouri, the birth-state of the renowned writer Mark Twain, is named after the Missouri River, the second-longest river in the United States. That, in turn, owes its name to the Missouri Indians.

Missouri is a landlocked state that shares borders with eight other states. In fact, Missouri and Tennessee are the states with the most neighboring states in the U.S.

We may thank Italy for gelatos, but we need to thank Missouri for ice cream cones. Waffle ice cream cones originated in St. Louis, Missouri, by accident. According to the story, during St. Louis Fair back in 1904, the ice cream vendor ran out of cups and spoons. It didn’t stop him though, as he continued selling ice cream in rolled-up waffles from the man selling them in the booth next to him.

And while ice cream cones are an excellent invention, you’re here to find out whether kratom is legal in Missouri or not.

So, let’s find that out.

Is Kratom Legal in Missouri?

Kratom is legal in Missouri at this time. However, in the first half of 2019, a debate on whether kratom should be banned or regulated commenced in a few counties in Missouri, and there was a bill to ban kratom in 2020. It eventually failed. In 2021, Missouri is reviewing the Kratom Consumer Protection Act, which has already successfully passed House hearings. 

According to a St. Louis County councilman, a year before the recent debates on kratom, no one even knew how to spell it correctly. Suddenly, in the spring of 2019, kratom became the epicenter of deaths, overdoses, and people getting sick.

As a result, St. Charles, St. Louis, and Jefferson counties joined the debate on whether they should ban or regulate kratom. In Franklin County, too, a man is advocating a kratom ban after his wife allegedly passed away from kratom intoxication. Yet, thus far, there have been no bills on kratom in Franklin County.

Split Opinions on Kratom in Missouri

Opinions on whether kratom should be legal in Missouri varied. While some council members supported a kratom ban, others acknowledged kratom’s beneficial properties and pointed out that banning it would cause more harm than good.

While other council members were speculating, St. Charles County Councilman Joe Cronin did what was the most optimal way of getting an informed perspective on kratom. He gave it a try. He later told the local radio that the shoulder pain she feels daily subsided and that he went on to build his backyard paver wall.

Along with Councilman Mike Elam, he pointed out that kratom itself wasn’t the cause of the problem but rather harmful substances mixed with it. Therefore, they both suggested regulating kratom to rule out “the bad actors.” They both agreed that becoming the first county to ban kratom In Missouri would not actually solve the problem.

To put things into perspective, Councilman Elam made an interesting observation. He emphasized that complaints about kratom are exaggerated in comparison with some common household products that Poison Control regularly receives calls about. According to his data, kratom products were a subject of 1,800 calls.

In the meantime, Poison Control received about 12,000 calls for Tide Pods, 20,000 for mouthwash, and 14,000 for toothpaste. This indicated that Missourians have a higher chance of getting poisoning from toothpaste rather than kratom

As a result, St. Charles County halted the ban and remained open to regulating it instead.

On August 26th, St. Louis County in Missouri approved regulated sales of kratom; however, the authorities made it explicitly clear that they did not endorse the herb.

Therefore, at this point, kratom is legal in the entire state of Missouri.

Attempts to Regulate Kratom in Missouri

In January 2020, a new bill was introduced. Also known as the Kratom Consumer Protection Act, this bill aims to regulate kratom sales and distribution, impose proper testing and labeling, as well as civil punishment for selling adulterated or contaminated kratom. The bill eventually died in committee.

Nonetheless, a new bill to regulate kratom in Missouri was introduced in late 2020. Contrary to its predecessor, this bill successfully passed three House readings and moved on to Missouri Senate.

If it passes, it will require:

• kratom vendors, manufacturers, and distributors not to produce and sell products that contain dangerous or poisonous non-kratom substances or scheduled substances,
• vendors will only sell kratom products that contain up to 2% of 7-hydroxymitragynine of the total alkaloid content,
• kratom sellers will only sell products to individuals who are 18 years and older,
• manufacturers and vendors will only sell products with labels that disclose their composition and alkaloid concentration,
• sellers, manufacturers, and distributors who fail to comply with the Missouri Kratom Consumer Protection Act will have to pay a fine worth up to $500 for their first offense and up to $1000 for the second or any subsequent offense.

As a result of this bill, Missouri residents will be able to get access to kratom and face fewer risks, whereas vendors, manufacturers, and distributors will have to comply with state law and ensure clean products and transparency.

Bill to Ban Kratom in Missouri

Another bill was introduced in January 2020. However, it aims to achieve the opposite – ban kratom and make it a Schedule I drug. Read more about this here.

The bill eventually died in committee.

Where to Buy Kratom in Missouri?

A number of smoke shops, head shops, herbal stores, gas stations, as well as CBD and kratom-specific stores offer kratom for sale in Missouri. Yet, there is still a risk of bad actors selling adulterated or contaminated kratom that can cause poisoning. Council members in several Missouri counties have pointed that out, as well.

Therefore, a safer alternative would be choosing online kratom-specific vendors who import kratom from reliable sources or distributors and test their products in 3^rd party independent laboratories in the United States.

If you are looking for information on kratom legality in other U.S. states, take a look at our kratom legality post and map.