MOUNT VERNON, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – One nearby city is taking a stand amid growing concerns surrounding an over the counter drug.
The Mount Vernon City Council voted unanimously on Wednesday, Aug. 26, to ban the sale and distribution of all kratom products within city limits.
The ordinance does not prohibit the possession of kratom.
According to the FDA, there’s a naturally occurring alkaloid found in the kratom plant called “7-OH” that’s been determined to be a dangerous substance. It’s been sold over the counter at gas stations and smoke shops in a semi-synthetic, more potent form.
But the council heard from one woman named Susan Eppard whose son died from using kratom leaf powder, which she says was the least potent form of the drug available.
“It’s just getting old, more and more people dying from this garbage drug, and it’s confusing to me why our government is not protecting people,” Eppard told the council.
Anyone who violates the ban will be subject to a $250 fine and could have their business license revoked.
The council’s decision came a day after the DEA announced an emergency scheduling of three 7-OH-related substances that places them into Schedule I for two years, making them illegal to sell or possess.
Cascadia Daily News has previously reported on the rise of kratom use throughout Whatcom County, with local clinicians seeing an uptick in patients addicted to the largely unregulated drug.
