After hearing the heartbreaking stories from families right here in the Capital Region who lost loved ones due to the unregulated use of kratom, Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh (R,C-Ballston) is proud to announce the passage of legislation aimed at regulating kratom products in New York state.

Kratom derives from a plant native to Southeast Asia. The chemical compounds that exist within this plant are known to affect the body, but much is still unknown about the long-term health and safety impacts of its use. Kratom products are often marketed as a natural supplement and sold in local gas stations or smoke shops, and it is currently completely unregulated.

The advocacy of a local parent who suffered the loss of her son pushed Walsh to work alongside Assemblymember Phil Steck to draft and pass a bipartisan bill (A.5852) focused on requiring manufacturers or distributors of kratom within the state to include a warning label, and prohibiting the labeling of kratom products as all natural. Additionally, Walsh co-sponsored two other bipartisan pieces of legislation that look to regulate kratom, the fate of those in this legislative session is unknown.

“We regulate alcohol, cannabis, tobacco and other substances because we recognize the risks they pose. Kratom should be no different. I understand that some individuals turn to kratom to manage pain or cope with opioid withdrawal. I respect that struggle. But without regulation, there is no way to know what’s actually in these products, how strong they are or the long-term side effects.

If we know a product poses a risk, it’s our obligation to protect people from misinformation and unregulated dangers. We owe it to the families already devastated by loss. We owe it to the young people who think kratom is just another herbal remedy. And we owe it to public health to act before another tragedy occurs.

I’m extremely happy to see this common sense piece of legislation pass the Assembly and the Senate, and I urge the Governor to sign it into law.”

Watch the video of Walsh speaking on the bill here.