Overview
- Senate Bill 45 to classify kratom as a Schedule I drug passed committee 7–1 and now moves to the Utah Senate floor, with Sen. Todd Weiler voting no.
- An alternative proposal from Sen. Evan Vickers would regulate kratom by scheduling the alkaloid 7-hydroxymitragynine above a defined threshold rather than banning the plant outright.
- The FDA has not approved kratom, continues to bar its import, and the DEA lists it as a drug and chemical of concern, yet it remains unscheduled federally and sold domestically.
- The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports kratom can produce opioid- and stimulant-like effects, with clinicians citing addiction and withdrawal; Utah’s medical examiner counted 158 fatal overdoses involving kratom over five years, usually with other substances present.
- The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps recently prohibited service members from using kratom or its active compounds, regardless of concentration or civilian legality.