This Bill May Regulate Kratom in Oregon in 2020

While kratom is legal in Oregon, it is unregulated. Because of that, a few issues have affected kratom buyers in Oregon and other locations across the United States. This may change as a new bill to regulate kratom in Oregon has been introduced.

Oregon-Based Vendors Selling Contaminated Kratom in 2018

In 2018, Salmonella-contaminated kratom reached the US market, affecting nearly 200 people across the US. Oregon was among the states with the highest number of affected people. Moreover, the FDA linked two Oregon-based vendors and one distributor to selling contaminated kratom.

This does not mean that kratom itself was bad. Instead, due to the lack of regulations, these vendors did not test their products, didn’t do the testing properly, or chose to sell contaminated kratom regardless.

Due to these negative instances, authorities were reluctant to keep kratom legal. They even removed kratom from the bill that intended to regulate it.

Yet, kratom supporters did not give up.

A New Bill to Regulate Kratom in Oregon

A new bill to regulate kratom was introduced on January 27, 2020. Under this bill, the state of Oregon would regulate kratom from July 1, 2020.  

Republican Bill Post and three democrat representatives, Brian Clem, Jeff Barker, and Rachel Prusak, were the sponsors of this bill. Rachel Prusak has over 20 years of experience as a nurse, and she supports affordable healthcare.

This bill, also known as the Kratom Consumer Protection Act, would require Oregon-based vendors of kratom products to:

• have to label their products disclosing all ingredients and the quantities of the active alkaloids,
• not mix kratom with any synthetic or other substances that are scheduled in the state or country or otherwise dangerous to buyers,
• register their products with the State Department of Agriculture,
• properly test kratom products,
• not sell to individuals under the age of 21,
• face a civil penalty if they fail to comply with the law.

Introducing this act will ensure access to pure kratom to the people of Oregon and those purchasing from Oregon-based vendors.

Sadly, this bill did not succeed.

If you live in Oregon and would like it to regulate kratom, make sure to keep up with the updates and look into the kratom advocacy toolkit by the American Kratom Association. Together we can ensure that kratom is not only legal but also regulated in Oregon.

If you’d like to learn more about kratom legality across the United States, please check out this post.