10/22/2026
Pennsylvania House panel advances bill to regulate kratom
A panel of Pennsylvania House members advanced a bill that would allow the sale of some kratom products to continue in the state, while banning others and creating stricter regulations for sellers. Under the proposed law, retailers who register with the state would be allowed to sell natural leaf kratom products to people 21 and over. But those products would have to meet strict packaging requirements and be subject to the to***co tax.
Packages would have to include the manufacturer's name and address, a warning that the products have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and not contain any medical claims. They would also have to be child resistant and not designed to appeal to minors. The bill would also ban the sale of so-called synthetic or adulterated kratom products, including those that contain more than .5% alkaloid composition of 7-hydroxymitraynine or 7-OH, a potent intoxicating compound found in only trace amounts in the kratom leaf. Violators would be subject to criminal penalties, though those would target sellers and not individual users.
Kratom is a substance that, in low doses, acts as a stimulant and, in higher doses, more as a sedative. It's made from a plant native to southeast Asia, where it's been ingested for medicinal, ceremonial and recreational purposes for hundreds of years. But recently, its popularity in America has skyrocketed. Along with natural kratom leaf, more potent synthetic derivatives and products made by extracting intoxicating compounds from the plant have become readily available at many gas stations and smoke shops throughout the country.
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The proposed law would allow natural leaf kratom products to be sold to people 21 and older, but prohibit synthetic forms that have become popular items at gas stations and smoke shops.
