A statewide ban on selling, buying, and possessing kratom products takes effect at 5 p.m. Wednesday in North Dakota.
Gov. Kelly Armstrong signed the public health emergency order Monday. It also bars manufacturing and distributing kratom.
The state Pharmacy Board separately placed the substance 7-OH in the Schedule One drug category for 180 days. 7-OH naturally in kratom, but concentrated products can contain far more than the trace amount found in the plant.
Health and Human Services officials claim 50 North Dakota deaths since 2019 are associated with kratom or related substances. That number and data they cite has not yet been verified independently. Those officials claim the substances were part of the primary cause in 23 cases, a contributing cause in one, and present in toxicology results in 26 others.
Lawmakers will return Sept. 2 to consider permanent rules and penalties. Sen. Jeff Magrum of Hazelton told the North Dakota Monitor he supports an age restriction but opposes a complete ban.
Governor Armstrong has indicated he opposes felony charges for kratom use and possession, while saying in a statement that he felt compelled to act before next year’s legislative session to regulate and restrict the product.
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