Thanks for stopping by our new kratom ban updates and news page! We’re kicking things off with some important kratom updates for April 2022 and what you can do to help.
If you are a resident in Tennessee or Colorado, read these article sections closely as there are some crucial actions you can take regarding kratom laws in your state. If you are not a resident in either state, it’s still important to be familiar with these kratom updates as they could affect more states to follow.
Pending Kratom Ban in Tennessee
On April 6, 2022, the Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee planned to hold a hearing at the Cordell Hull Building Senate Room I to discuss a late change to a bill that would ban kratom in Tennessee.
The AKA again sent out emails urging community members to attend the hearing and plan on speaking out against the bill. Fortunately, this hasty attempt to sneak in a kratom was temporarily thwarted when the Chairman of the Tennesee State Judiciary Committee Decided not to support the amendment to his bill that would ban kratom.
While our activist efforts were able to stall a recent impeding kratom ban in Tennessee, there is, unfortunately, a new kratom ban amendment on TN House Bill 2043 that we need to work to stop.
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-17-452(a)(3), is amended by deleting the subdivision and substituting:
(3) It is an offense for a person to knowingly:
(A) Sell, or offer for sale, Kratom;
(B) Distribute, sell, or offer for sale, Kratom; or (C) Purchase or possess Kratom.
If passed, this amendment would make kratom illegal in Tennessee, forcing kratom consumers to either destroy their kratom or face criminal charges. Our voices made an impact before—let’s give it our all again!
How You Can Help Prevent the Tennessee Kratom Ban
Please take some time to contact the committee members considering the ban amendment and tell them to remove Section 3, the amendment that criminalizes kratom. Follow the following steps to help prevent the kratom ban:
- Complete the email contact form on the Tennessee page link.
- When contacting officials, please share your personal experience with kratom. Remember to stress that banning kratom will make criminals out of thousands of Tennessee citizens.
- Call the House Finance Committee legislators and tell them not to support Amendment Section 3 that would criminalize kratom.
Here is a list of all of the committee members’ names, phone numbers, and emails if you want to contact them:
- Patsy Hazelwood rep.patsy.hazlewood@capitol.tn.gov (615)741-2746
- John Windle rep.john.windle@capitol.tn.gov (615)741-1260
- Larry Miller rep.larry.miller@capitol.tn.gov (615)741-4453
- Karen Camper rep.karen.camper@capitol.tn.gov (615)741-1898
- Bob Freeman rep.bob.freeman@capitol.tn.gov (615)741-0709
- Johnny Shaw rep.johnny.shaw@capitol.tn.gov (615)741-4538
- Susan Lynn rep.susan.lynn@capitol.tn.gov (615)741-7462
- William Lamberth rep.william.lamberth@capitol.tn.gov (615)741-1980
- Scotty Campbell rep.scotty.campbell@capitol.tn.gov (615)741-2050
- Jeremy Faison rep.jeremy.faison@capitol.tn.gov (615)741-6871
- Mike Sparks rep.mike.sparks@capitol.tn.gov (615)741-6829
- John Gillespie rep.john.gillespie@capitol.tn.gov (615)741-8201
- Johnny Garrett rep.johnny.garrett@capitol.tn.gov (615)741-3893
- David Hawk rep.david.hawk@capitol.tn.gov (615)741-7482
- John Crawford rep.john.crawford@capitol.tn.gov (615)741-7623
- Gary Hicks rep.gary.hicks@capitol.tn.gov (615)741-7480
- Ron Gant rep.ron.gant@capitol.tn.gov (615)741-6890
- Jerry Sexton rep.jerry.sexton@capitol.tn.gov (615)741-2534
- Jason Zachary rep.jason.zachary@capitol.tn.gov (615)741-2264
- Chris Todd rep.chris.todd@capitol.tn.gov (615)741-7475
- Charlie Baum rep.charlie.baum@capitol.tn.gov (615)741-6849
- Brandon Ogles rep.brandon.ogles@capitol.tn.gov (615)741-6808
- Ryan Williams rep.ryan.williams@capitol.tn.gov (615)741-1875
- Sam Whitson rep.sam.whitson@capitol.tn.gov (615)253-0228
If you know of any other Tennessee kratom protectors, please share this with them and invite them to contact officials!
Colorado to Pass the Kratom Consumer Protection Act: Show Your Support!
The Colorado Senate has passed the Kratom Consumer Protection Act (KCPA), and now the Colorado House will hold a hearing on the KCPA on Wednesday, April 27th. If you are a Colorado resident, we urge you to call and submit your testimony remotely via the Colorado legislative portal.
How to Help Colorado
Although Colorado passing the KCPA is good news, it is always a good idea to get as much support fort it as possible to help secure the future legality of kratom in Colorado. If you want to show your support and help Colorado pass the KCPA, there are two main steps to follow.
STEP 1
Call the following members of the House Health and Insurance Committee Today! Tell them why kratom matters to you and to support the Kratom Consumer Protection Act:
- Susan Lontine (Chair) 303-866-2966
- Chris Kennedy 303-866-2951
- Patrick Neville 303-866-2948
- Brianna Titone 303-866-2962
- David Ortiz 303-866-2953
- Karen McCormick 303-866-2780
- Emily Sirota 303-866-2910
- Dave Williams 303-866-5525
- Mark Baisley 303-866-2935
- Kyle Mullica 303-866-2931
- Matt Soper 303-866-2583
STEP 2
Submit formal comments for the April 27th hearing. Please note that when you’re asked to select the “Hearing Item” in the form, be sure to select the “House Health and Insurance SB22-120” from the drop-down menu.
In your testimony, consider emphasizing how the KCPA is vital to help stop adulterated and unsafe products in the market. The KCPA is currently the best way to make progress toward ensuring that buyers will be protected from contaminated kratom products. Check out this recent article for more information on the benefits of the Kratom Consumer Protection Act.
Thank You for Helping Protect Kratom!
Thank you for your time and show of support. Please feel free to share this article on social media or via email if you know any Tennessee and Colorado residents. Even if they don’t yet know what kratom is, it’s an excellent opportunity to educate them and explain why it’s important to keep it legal and regulate kratom in the U.S.
