Michigan Republicans are pushing to ban kratom, a widely available supplement they say is linked to addiction and deaths, following a Downriver roundtable Wednesday, April 1.
The event comes weeks after the Michigan House narrowly approved legislation that would prohibit the production, sale and distribution of kratom across the state. Supporters of the ban say the substance, often sold in gas stations, vape shops and online, poses serious risks due to its unregulated nature and opioid-like effects. State data shows about 330 deaths in Michigan between 2020 and 2024 involved kratom, a figure cited by officials as they push for stricter action.
Kratom, derived from a plant native to Southeast Asia, can produce stimulant effects in low doses and sedative, opioid-like effects in higher doses.
It is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for medical use.
Lawmakers said the push for a ban has been driven in part by families who say they lost loved ones after using kratom.
Dr. Sean Esteban McCabe, director of the University of Michigan Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health, said more than 150,000 people in Michigan may have used kratom and warned that sudden policy changes could affect a large number of users.