DeSoto County passes kratom ban

DESOTO CO., Miss. (WMC) - Kratom sales are now banned in DeSoto County, Mississippi.

On Nov. 2, the DeSoto County Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance prohibiting the sale, distribution and manufacturing of kratom products “to protect the public health, safety and welfare of its residents.”

Natural kratom is derived from Mitragyna speciosa, a tree native to Southeast Asia.

Its principal alkaloids, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, act on opioid receptors in the brain. It acts as a stimulant at low doses and a sedative at high doses.

Although the United States Food and Drug Administration has not approved kratom for medical use, it remains legal at the federal level. However, many state and local governments have banned it, and federal authorities have warned about its risks.

The City of Hernando and more than thirty other Mississippi municipalities and counties have already prohibited kratom.

Advocates argue that kratom is safe in its pure form and that it can help manage pain, anxiety and depression and ease the effects of opioid withdrawal.

However, doctors who treat addiction say people can quickly become dependent on it, leading to withdrawal symptoms.

READ MORE — Best Life: Kratom: Safe or a self-induced death sentence?

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