Armstrong Reiterates Call for Kratom Ban in State of the State Address | Politics406.com

politics406.com · September 6, 2026

Armstrong Reiterates Call for Kratom Ban in State of the State Address | Politics406.com

Posted on September 6, 2026 September 5, 2026

# Armstrong Reiterates Call for Kratom Ban in State of the State Address

North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong used his State of the State address to a special session of the 69th Legislative Assembly to renew his call for lawmakers to ban the unregulated drug kratom, following his executive action last month to temporarily prohibit its sale.

“We are here to address a public safety and a public health issue that simply cannot wait for the regular legislative calendar to run its course,” Armstrong said. “People were overdosing and dying from a product they could buy off the shelf without any regulations or age restrictions. That’s why we took it off the shelves until you all could convene.”

Armstrong issued an executive order on Aug. 3 calling lawmakers to convene Sept. 2, declaring a public health emergency and temporarily banning the sale, use and possession of all kratom and kratom products in North Dakota as of Aug. 5. He also signed an emergency rule issued by the North Dakota Board of Pharmacy classifying several kratom-related, opioid-like compounds as Schedule 1 controlled substances, a move that aligned with the timing of action announced in July by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

On Tuesday, the governor asked lawmakers to codify the emergency rule in state law, clarify enforcement authority and set reasonable criminal penalties for the purchase and sale of synthetic kratom. He quoted the DEA’s statement that “the aggressive marketing of these semisynthetic opioids as ‘precision-formulated products,’ ‘botanical extracts,’ or as ‘mood boosters’ for the treatment of health conditions is deeply concerning. The branding creates a false sense of safety for unknowing consumers who may equate the term ‘botanical’ with lower risk.”

Armstrong asked lawmakers to go a step further and ban kratom in all its forms, as nine other states have done, with a sales ban also set to take effect next July in Kentucky. The governor noted that kratom is not regulated or approved for any use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which continues to warn consumers against using kratom “because of the risk of serious adverse events, including liver toxicity, seizures, and substance use disorder.”

“At the very least, we should have a 21-and-older age restriction on purchasing kratom, and a truth-in-labeling law so consumers actually know what they’re taking,” Armstrong said, though he questioned whether an effective labeling law is even possible without federal regulation.

Armstrong said he empathizes with those struggling with addiction to kratom products, noting that the state’s Behavioral Health Division maintains a page of addiction recovery resources at hhs.nd.gov, along with eight state-operated Behavioral Health Clinics across North Dakota and a directory of local treatment providers. Counselors are available 24/7 through the 988 hotline for those experiencing a behavioral health crisis.

Since 2019, North Dakota has received reports of 23 deaths in which kratom’s main psychoactive component, mitragynine, its trace compound 7-hydroxymitragynine, which is marketed in concentrated form, and/or the semi-synthetic analogue mitragynine pseudoindoxyl were listed as part of the primary cause of death, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.

By: Radio406 News wire

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