Is Kratom Legal in New Hampshire in 2023?

New Hampshire was one of the original 13 colonies and the first state to decorate its independence from England.

The first free public library in the U.S. opened in New Hampshire in the first half of the 19^th century. It still operates and is the first library in the world that’s tax-supported.

Let’s take a look at what the state of kratom legality in New Hampshire is.

Is Kratom Legal in New Hampshire?

Kratom is legal in New Hampshire for individuals over the age of 18, except for Franklin City. In September 2019, a bill to ban kratom in Franklin took effect. Another bill aimed to ban kratom in the entire New Hampshire State, but it failed.

In 2016, the New Hampshire authorities received a bill that intended to ban the sales, possession, distribution, and manufacture of kratom.

As the Health and Human Services Committee met to discuss kratom, many people attended the meeting to speak on their experiences with kratom.

One of the most impactful testimonials was that of State Representative Shem Kellogg. He had recently received a stage IV colon cancer diagnosis and was undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

Kellogg revealed that he was taking prescription morphine to deal with pain. He admitted that, once the cancer treatment would be over, he would be at a high risk of prescription painkiller addiction. Thus, he stated that access to natural ways of pain relief such as kratom could significantly increase his quality of life.

The recording of this hearing is available online here (part 1) and here (part 2) as well in audio format.

As a result, authorities decided to amend the bill and prohibit kratom to minors instead of passing a statewide kratom ban.

In early September 2019, Franklin banned Mitragyna speciosa. Therefore, it became the first municipality in New Hampshire where kratom is no longer legal.

Efforts to Ban Kratom in New Hampshire

While most New Hampshire residents can buy kratom, there have been efforts to stop this from happening. A bill introduced in February 2020 aimed to ban kratom sales and possession across the entire state. Fortunately, it died in September 2020.

Efforts to Regulate Kratom

In January 2021, a new bill aiming to keep kratom legal and regulate it in New Hampshire was introduced. The aim of this bill is to require kratom vendors, manufacturers, and distributors to:

• not offer for sale products that contain dangerous and poisonous non-kratom substances such as the scheduled ones,
• not sell any kratom products that contain synthetic derivatives of the plant such as but not limited to its alkaloids,
• only sell kratom products that contain less than 2% of 7-hydroxymitragynine of the total alkaloid content,
• prohibit the sales of kratom to persons who have not reached the age of 18,
• face a fine of up $500 for their first offense and up to $1,000 for any subsequent offense in the case of violating the New Hampshire Kratom Consumer Protection Act.

Where to Buy Kratom in New Hampshire?

Except for Franklin, it is possible to kratom in New Hampshire locally in multiple tobacco shops as well as in a few vape shops and herb stores.

However, we suggest that you choose to buy kratom online from trusted vendors. This way, you are more likely to buy kratom that is cost-efficient, free of contaminants, and high-quality.

Because New Hampshire has already had prior attempts to ban it, it can also be better to buy kratom online. Trusted vendors are interested in keeping it legal. Therefore, they will do their best to follow practices that won’t compromise the reputation of kratom.

If you found this post helpful, you can bookmark our blog post on kratom legality across the U.S. We regularly update it, and it also includes a kratom legality map with an easy reference on kratom legality news.