LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: 3/2/20
Mac Haddow: Senior Fellow on Public Policy, AKA
MISSISSIPPI SENATE DRUG POLICY COMMITTEE
REJECTS THE KRATOM BAN BILL AND UNANIMOUSLY PASSES THE SUBSTITUTE KRATOM CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT
Even with a statement by the Director of the Department of Health claiming that kratom is killing Mississippi residents, the
Senate Drug
Policy Committee relied on the real science and the best public policy on kratom and voted to replace the proposed kratom
ban with a
Committee substitute – the Kratom Consumer Protection Act.
This sea-change in attitude was led by Senator Christopher McDaniel who walked the Committee members through
the provisions of
the KCPA, and that was followed by a UNANIMOUS vote for standing up for kratom consumers.
The battle continues tomorrow morning where the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Division B, and the House
Drug Policy Committee
both meet at 9 am. Kratom Warriors have committed to attend in force, so we are prepared.
Members of the House Drug Policy Committee represent the biggest hurdle because some of the Committee
Members believe kratom
sales should be banned from convenience stores and the sale of liquid kratom drinks should be banned completely.
AKA strongly disagrees
with this position, and will fight to keep all products legal as long as they comply with the purity standards.
THE OKLAHOMA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PASSES THE KRATOM CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT ON A UNANIMOUS VOTE OF 97-0
HB 2846, the Kratom Consumer Protection Act was approved by the Oklahoma House of Representatives
on an overwhelming
unanimous vote this afternoon.
There are no red flags in Oklahoma on this bill, and we are looking forward to working with the Legislature
on implementing this
important bill to protect Oklahoma’s kratom consumers.
Senate consideration is expected in the next week or so. AKA will be following this issue closely.
|