The city of Naperville has banned the retail sale of kratom, and now DuPage County is seeking to bring local and state leaders together to make the ban broader.
The county board on Tuesday, Oct. 27, expressed support for making it a legislative priority to enact a widespread ban on kratom sales across DuPage communities and beyond.
Calling the plant-based substance — and similar synthetic and more concentrated products, including one named 7-OH — dangerous and unregulated, County Board Chairwoman Deborah Conroy and board member Kari Galassi said the county must do all it can to ban sales in the name of safety.
“We need to advance stronger statewide protections,” said Galassi, a Hinsdale Republican representing District 3. “Without comprehensive standards for strengths, purity and labeling, consumers cannot reliably know how potent these products are or what else they may contain.”
County board objects to kratom packaging, availability
As the mother of college-aged children, Galassi said kratom first caught her attention earlier this year when the deaths of two college students in Mississippi, found dead near synthetic kratom products, made national news. She then started to notice kratom for sale close to home, including at local gas stations, where she said it is advertised prominently.
“The packaging looked like Skittles or other candy — brightly colored, harmless-looking packaging trying to entice younger children. To me, it looked like something that would appeal to teenagers. I was disgusted,” Galassi said. “Our community has already suffered so much from the drug epidemic, and here were potentially dangerous, addictive products being presented in ways that made them look harmless — right in our backyard.”
County Board member Andrew Honig, a Lombard Democrat representing District 2, described kratom as “scarily accessible to so many people and not FDA approved.” He and several others on the board said they support doing all the county can to protect residents by restricting the sales of kratom products.
Working against kratom ‘at every level’
A state law prevents anyone younger than 18 from buying kratom, but Galassi said she and her fellow county board members are looking for more “meaningful action” from Springfield to regulate the drug.
“I’ve heard so many things about how dangerous kratom is,” said county board member Lucy Chang Evans, a Naperville Democrat representing District 3. “I fully support us seeking legislation to ban it.”
The county government does not have home rule authority. So unlike officials in Naperville, the county’s elected leaders are unable to ban kratom sales within unincorporated DuPage boundaries on their own.
That’s why the county now is aiming to coordinate with local municipalities, law enforcement and state legislators to ensure kratom sales can be reined in.
So far, Addison, Bartlett and Wheaton have joined Naperville in banning kratom sales within their borders. County officials said Darien is considering a ban as well, and the county is developing language for an anti-kratom resolution, which Conroy said it will encourage boards in non-home rule municipalities to adopt.
“We’re trying to hit it at every level,” Conroy said.
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