(The Center Square) – Selling kratom within the city limits of Spokane and Spokane Valley could soon cost a business its license under proposals set for a vote from each jurisdiction’s city council this week.
Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown proposed banning the sale of kratom in December, citing a “vertical spike” in related calls to the Washington Poison Center. Several major cities and states have already banned Mitragyna speciosa, a tropical tree known as kratom, which provides users with an opioid-like effect.
Kratom has two psychoactive alkaloids: mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, also known as 7-OH.
The state and federal government don’t regulate the substance commonly sold at gas stations, smoke shops and other retailers. State lawmakers recently proposed age limits and taxes on kratom products ranging from 11% to 95%, but none of the bills reached the House or Senate floor for a vote this year.
“My 25-year-old son, Austin, died after using kratom,” community member Dan Gibbs testified during last week’s Monday council meeting. “His toxicology showed no fentanyl, heroin, prescription opioids, synthetics or 7-OH — only mitragynine, the primary alkaloid, and what is marketed as natural leaf.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends avoiding the substance and hasn’t approved any products containing kratom. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, some users develop a dependence and withdrawal symptoms, with a risk of respiratory depression found in certain studies.
Respiratory depression is a common, life-threatening side effect of drug overdoses. According to a federal study examining more than 27,000 overdose deaths across 27 states from 2016 to 2017, 152 cases tested positive for kratom, and the substance was listed as the cause of death in 91 cases.
Kratom was the only positive substance in seven of those deaths. Critics have argued that a blanket ban on the substance isn’t the right approach. Some opioid users say kratom changed their trajectory in life, with chronic pain patients warning that a ban could push some toward alcohol and other drugs.
“I spent years struggling to manage my chronic pain,” transverse myelitis patient Jennifer Gillis testified last week. “Because of kratom, I can get out of bed, run errands, attend school functions and live a somewhat normal life. My story is not unique, and for many of us, Kratom is a lifeline.”
Councilmember Michael Cathcart proposed an amendment that his peers rejected last week that would have carved out an exemption for natural Kratom leaves and non-synthetic products. Cathcart said he couldn’t support an outright ban without more data, arguing for a more regulatory approach.
Spokane Valley City Councilmember Jessica Yaeger expressed similar concerns as Cathcart last month after hearing users testify during their Tuesday night meetings. She also supported a more regulatory approach, but like the Spokane City Council, a majority supported banning Kratom sales altogether.
If approved, Spokane’s ban would prohibit the sale and distribution of kratom to anyone, regardless of age, though users could still purchase it online. Violators could have their business licenses revoked or denied and face a civil infraction, with the same consequences under Spokane Valley’s proposed ban.
The Spokane City Council will vote on Monday. The Spokane Valley City Council will vote on Tuesday.
“This is clearly an issue that needs to be dealt with at the state level,” Spokane Valley Councilmember Michael Kelly said on Feb. 10. “The approach that is beneficial for the most … is to probably to pursue a ban at this time, because that is the one that’s going to be most easily enforced by us.”
