Is Kratom Legal in Ohio in 2023?

Ohio State owes its name to the Ohio River, which means “The Great River” in Seneca, a language of a group of indigenous people in North America.

The state flag of Ohio is not a rectangle like the flags of the other states. Instead, it’s a triangular swallow-tail flag. This makes it the only non-rectangular state flag in the entire country.

Ohio is home to not just one, but seven U.S. presidents. Thomas Edison and the Wright Brothers are from Ohio as well. As a matter of fact, the Wright brothers were in the bicycle business. They rented, built, repaired, and sold bikes in Dayton, Ohio.

According to the data of NASA, 25 astronauts stem from Ohio. Some of the most popular ones are Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, and John Glenn, the first American who orbited the earth.

That’s impressive, right?

So, now, let’s find out if kratom is legal in Ohio.

Is Kratom Legal in Ohio?

Kratom is legal in Ohio at this time. However, the Ohio Board of Pharmacy has recommended banning it. Though the American Kratom Association is trying to pursue the Kratom Consumer Protection Act in Ohio, authorities have passed a bill to ban kratom if the DEA decides to schedule it.

The movement against kratom started in 2018. The Ohio Board of Pharmacy (OCB) issued a statement on the dangers of kratom and its proposal to ban it. It proposed enlisting it among the Schedule I drugs along with synthetic opioids and heroin.

Then, right before Thanksgiving, the police performed a series of raids on businesses selling kratom. They didn’t confiscate any of the products. However, they locked down the inventory of several stores on the premise of them selling an unauthorized product.

As a justification of their decision, the OBP used six “kratom deaths” caused by intravenous injections. The OCB stated that these intravenous injections served as a means of administering kratom.

Yet, a medicine professor from Harvard University pointed out that this was inaccurate information. First of all, other substances weren’t ruled out. Secondly, the professor also pointed out that kratom is a non-soluble substance. Therefore, it’s not suitable for intravenous injections.

Once again this illustrates that there is a serious lack of information available on kratom. Sadly, certain authorities take advantage of that instead of considering the people who benefit from kratom.

2019 Developments

The authorities allowed a comment period and received at least 1500 comments. The Ohio Board of Pharmacy was about to ban kratom on August 5, 2019. However, nearly 100 people came to a public hearing on August 2 and shared their positive experiences with kratom.

As a result, the authorities decided to delay the bill to ban kratom. In addition to that, a new bill to regulate kratom was introduced on August 13. The bill did not succeed and died in committee.

Efforts to Regulate Kratom in 2021

A new bill to keep kratom legal and regulate it in Ohio was introduced in April 2021. This bill suggests the following:

• a person willing to process kratom will have to apply for and obtain a kratom processing license from the director of agriculture,
• kratom processors will pay an annual license fee,
• all kratom products will undergo lab testing,
• the department of agriculture will conduct regular random inspections to verify compliance with the new legislation,
• label kratom products,
• no person or vendor will sell, distribute, or manufacture kratom products that contain dangerous non-kratom substances or synthetic alkaloids,
• no kratom product will contain more than 2% of 7-hydroxymitragynine of the total alkaloid content,
• incompliance with the legislation will lead to losing the kratom processing license or minor misdemeanor (a fine of up to $150) for the first offense and a fourth-degree misdemeanor (30 days of jail time and/or a $250 fine) for any subsequent offense.

Where to Buy Kratom in Ohio?

For now, kratom remains legal in Ohio and it is possible to buy it from local kratom vendors. However, with the risks and issues involved, buying kratom from online vendors can be a much better option.  Make sure to pay attention to the vendor motivations, lab testing results, and more.

On the brim of a potential kratom ban in Ohio, it’s more informative.

If you’d like to learn more on kratom legality in the U.S. and whether it is legal in your state, check this post.