Utah Became First State to 'Regulate' This Dangerous Drug

It's a dangerous drug, and Utah can proudly claim to be the first state to protect it.
Well, “proudly” might not be the right word, but Utah was the first state to place a comprehensive law on the books concerning the drug.
Supposedly, the law regulated kratom — which is the drug we speak of — but in fact, it enabled it.

Yes, Utah’s Kratom Consumer Protection Act of 2019 might even be said to have coddled the industry.
It enhanced it. It legitimized it.
The drug would have become everything it did — exploding on the scene in recent years — but the nudge from Utah’s legislators certainly didn’t hurt.
Indeed, the Utah law became a model for other states, and the author of the bill became a paid spokesperson, his consulting firm raking in more than a million dollars in consulting fees. The man went around the country calling for favorable legislation for the drug. This all according to a Salt Lake Tribune article.

Did I say this is the legacy of Utah?
Well, it is. So sorry.

There are at least three bills before the 2026 Legislature trying to clean up after the Kratom Consumer Protection Act of 2019.
Only SB 45 could be said — of the three — to not be at all friendly toward the kratom industry in Utah.
It would repeal the 2019 law and classify kratom alkaloids as controlled substances.

If I were a legislator, I would vote for SB 45.

(blogs)