Is Kratom Legal in Oklahoma in 2023?

Oklahoma is the 46th state of the United States and home to almost 4 million people. It has the second largest population of Native Americans as well as the largest bald eagle population in the country. Its capital, Oklahoma City, is famous for its cowboy culture.

The name of the state literally signifies “red people” in Choctaw, one of the Native American languages.

Oklahoma experiences many earthquakes. In fact, it has more earthquakes than any other place in the US and the rest of the world.

How about the legal status of kratom in Oklahoma? Let’s take a look.

Is Kratom Legal in Oklahoma?

Kratom is legal in the state of Oklahoma. In 2014, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics proposed a bill to ban kratom. However, because of a successful petition signed by many kratom supporters, it did not succeed. In 2021, Oklahoma passed the Kratom Consumer Protection Act. 

Intents to Ban Kratom

Back in 2014, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics expressed its strong interest in banning Mitragyna speciosa, known as kratom. A bill to amend the controlled drugs in Schedule I, II, and IV was proposed. Kratom was among them.

One of the main arguments for banning kratom was that it was illegal in Thailand, its country of origin. A representative of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics claimed that kratom is not legal in Thailand because of “the problems they’ve seen.”

The Truth Behind Thailand’s Kratom Ban

In actuality, that’s an inaccuracy and misrepresentation of kratom that the authorities used as an excuse. Thailand did not ban kratom because of the problems they’ve seen with its properties. Instead, kratom was banned in Thailand in 1943 because it interfered with the sales of opium during World War II.

The demand and the prices of opium had increased and the Thai government was getting revenue from the opium taxes. Kratom, however, was fairly inexpensive. It also caused no serious health consequences or hospital visits.

But, the government wasn’t benefitting from it because there was no tax on kratom.

Banning kratom (and cannabis along with it) was the means the Thai government used to seize the opium market. And earn from the opium taxes.

There is another proof for the fact that Thailand didn’t ban kratom because of the problems it caused. The country chose to legalize kratom and medical marijuana for medicinal purposes in late 2018. While the process has been slow, progress is undeniable.

Another argument for banning kratom the authorities used was that it is an unregulated drug. However, banning isn’t the answer to that. Regulating it as Utah, Arizona, and Nevada have done is a more suitable way to solve the issue.

The bill listed various synthetically manufactured substances and included mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine among them.

Kratom supporters started a petition which aimed to exclude kratom from the list. The petition gathered over 1000 signatures and, eventually, the authorities removed kratom from the bill.

Oklahoma Kratom Consumer Protection Act

In February 2020, sponsors introduced a bill to regulate kratom in Oklahoma. The bill, called the Oklahoma Kratom Consumer Protection Act (KCPA), intended to provide buyers with safer access to kratom.

The bill initially received positive feedback. In two house readings, Oklahoma legislators almost unanimously voted in its favor. However, after being referred to the senate and then to the Health and Human Services Committee in March 2020, it eventually died.

In early 2021, a new bill was introduced aiming to regulate kratom. Contrary to the previous bill aiming to accomplish the same, this bill successfully passed in May 2021. Under it:

• It is illegal to mix or adulterate kratom with other substances, especially illegal, dangerous, poisonous, and scheduled ones,
• kratom products require labeling,
• The law prohibits vendors from selling kratom products containing synthetic alkaloids. It also prohibits products with more than 2% of 7-hydroxymitragynine of the total alkaloid content from reaching buyers.
• Vendors can only sell kratom to individuals above the age of 18,
• Vendors need to place labels on all products with information or QR code leading to their website where the following can be found:
  • List of ingredients and their origin,
  • Amount of alkaloids present,
  • Prohibition and precautionary statements, as well as
  • The name and mailing address or the primary responsible person,
• Violating this law results in a misdemeanor and jail time of up to 1 year or a fine of up to $1,000.

Where to Buy Kratom in Oklahoma?

Since kratom is legal in Oklahoma, a number of smoke, vape, and herb shops in the state offer kratom for sale. The state regulates kratom, reducing the risks of purchasing contaminated or adulterated kratom products.

However, if you’d like the convenience of buying kratom online, it’s best to buy it from trustworthy vendors. It’ll help you to save on middleman, transportation, and overhead costs. Thus, we invite you to check out our kratom products that are pure, high-quality, consistent, and lab-tested.

For more information on kratom legality across the United States, you can view this post on our blog. You’ll also see a detailed kratom legality map.