(The Center Square) – Citing a “vertical spike” in calls to the poison center, Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown proposed Monday banning the sale of an addictive, plant-based product proliferating the legal market.
Several major cities and states have banned Mitragyna speciosa, a tropical tree referred to as kratom, which provides users with a potent opioid-like effect. The state and federal governments don’t regulate it, so anyone can buy the plant at gas stations, smoke shops and other retailers, including coffee shops.
The Spokane Police Department and the mayor’s policy advisor briefed the Spokane City Council on a proposal to outlaw the sale of kratom on Monday. Sarah McNew, a coalition coordinator with the West Spokane Wellness Partnership, said it would make them the first city in the state to regulate kratom.
“Two key ingredients in it that are of concern are the 7-hydroxymitragynine and mitragynine,” Officer Mike Thomas told the council during a Monday committee meeting. “Two totally different substances.”
Thomas said mitragynine acts like a stimulant, making the user more alert, while the other alkaloid, 7-OH, works on the opioid receptors in the body. He said the effect makes kratom attractive to those struggling with substance abuse disorder or undergoing treatment, but kids are using it now as well.
While some states have outright banned kratom, others impose regulations like age restrictions, but Washington state hasn’t stepped in at all. Like the federal level, kratom doesn’t appear on the state’s Uniform Controlled Substances Act, but retailers typically limit sales to people at least 18 years old.
Two bills reached the Legislature in 2022 to either ban kratom or limit sales to individuals at least 21 years old, but neither passed. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended scheduling 7-OH products federally last July, citing the widespread availability and effects more potent than morphine.
“Washington Poison Center has seen a ‘vertical spike’ in kratom-related calls,” according to the proposal.
Former Regional Health Officer Bob Lutz said a federal survey estimated 1.2 million users over the age of 12 in 2021, but retail data puts the figure at 11 million to 20 million individuals annually. It’s a $1.5 billion industry expanding by 17% annually and on track to reach $7.2 billion in the next decade, he said.
“It seems that in many ways, this is really used as harm reduction,” Councilmember Michael Cathcart argued Monday, “and what frustrates me is sitting up here getting lectured, saying we need to hand out glass pipes to users on the street, but we’re going to ban Kratom that’s used for harm reduction.”
Last February, the council banned the sale of single-serve alcoholic beverages and drug paraphernalia unless the retailer provides free naloxone, an overdose reversal drug commonly referred to as Narcan.
The Spokane Regional Health District also distributes hypodermic needles and other supplies through its harm reduction program. Lutz said he doesn’t have national data on kratom overdose deaths, but 35 individuals died from an overdose with kratom detectable in Washington state from 2013 to 2024.
Lutz said the FDA is considering scheduling 7-OH because there’s no “identified medical benefit.” Some people may use it in lieu of another substance, but many are also using it in conjunction with fentanyl.
He said that unless a doctor is specifically looking for kratom, it won’t show up on a toxicology screen.
A Cowlitz County court awarded a family $2.5 million after a father died after using kratom in 2023.
“It’s the Wild West,” Councilmember Paul Dillon said. “This really puts Spokane at the forefront.”
