Springfield City Council moves to ban sale of synthetic kratom after investigation
SPRINGFIELD — Saying the substance mimics the effects of heroin but is marketed to middle-school students, City Council members advanced a proposal Monday that would ban the sale of synthetic kratom in the city.
City Councilor Sean Curran, who introduced the proposal, said kratom, sometimes known as "gas station heroin," is a gateway drug sometimes marketed in the form of cookies that is already banned in seven states and a handful of Massachusetts municipalities.
"If you're selling kratom, I don't think you should be selling gasoline," Curran said at Monday's meeting.
While kratom is largely unregulated , some synthetic kratom products found at smoke shops and convenience stores contain a concentrated psychoactive compound called 7-OH, which the Food and Drug Administration says is many times more potent than morphine. The state Office of Medical Examiner has said it has contributed to about six dozen deaths since 2018, although it has declared as the primary cause of death in only one.
All 12 council members present at Monday's meeting voted in favor of the synthetic kratom ban. While the legislation will fizzle if left unpassed by the end of the year, Curran said in an interview he's "very confident" the council will take up the measure for its final vote at next week's meeting and send it to the mayor's desk.
The city modified the proposed ordinance to exclude kratom leaf that had been minimally processed after harvest, Curran said in an interview, after councilors heard testimony last month from people saying they used the natural kratom leaf for pain relief.
Under the proposed ordinance, retailers caught selling synthetic kratom or kratom extract or to persons under 21 face a $300 fine and, with enough violations, revoked or suspended permits.
The city's Department of Health and Human Services may face some hurdles enforcing the ordinance, Curran said at Monday's meeting. Only one person in the department is currently tasked with investigating the sale of synthetic cannabis in the city's stores.
"Gas stations and convenience stores here in the city of Springfield are unfortunately becoming pharmacies, so to speak, and we're going to need to support Health and Human Services as their role expands in regulating them," Curran said.
Also at Monday's meeting, city councilors took their final step in passing an ordinance banning the manufacture and sale of unlicensed and synthetic THC, the chemical that gives marijuana its psychological effects.
Curran said the impetus for his proposal to ban synthetic kratom came from an investigation published by The Republican in November that explored why some Massachusetts municipalities were moving to restrict its sale.
Ward 8 Councilor Zaida Govan said while she believes the state is considering addressing kratom, the ordinate is a way for the city to take a lead in protecting its residents. She said she received emails from residents whose children died from overdoses due to kratom.
Ward 6 Councilor Victor Davila, meanwhile, told Curran the measure will save lives.
"I think this is, in my opinion councilor, one of the most important pieces of legislation we have passed this year," Davila said.
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