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San Mateo County will become the first of the nine Bay Area counties to ban the substance, also known as ‘gas station heroin’
REDWOOD CITY – San Mateo County supervisors on Tuesday introduced an ordinance that would ban the sale of kratom, a substance made from a tropical tree that health officials say has been linked to overdose deaths and other growing health risks.
The proposed ban, introduced by Supervisor Ray Mueller, would also apply to related compounds, including 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, a substance found in small amounts in the plant but is increasingly being concentrated or synthesized into more potent products.
The measure, approved by a 5-0 vote of the Board, would prohibit the sale or distribution in unincorporated areas of the county of any kratom product or item containing detectable levels of 7-OH.
“It is destroying lives up and down the state,” Mueller said. “People are going in to stores and really finding an opioid that is readily present, available and being marketed and, in many cases, being marketed to youth.”
San Mateo County’s Health Officer, Dr. Kismet Baldwin-Santana, said she supports the ordinance “in light of the fact there are known health risks due to kratom and its alkaloid derivatives, including overdoses, deaths and other adverse effects.”
Kratom and related products are often sold as natural remedies, but a growing body of evidence points to significant risks.
Mueller said kratom and 7-OH products – including tablets, gummies, drink mixes and liquid shots – are widely sold in gas stations, smoke shops and online retailers and marketed as dietary supplements or wellness products.
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