Georgia and Nebraska Introduce Bills to Ban Kratom

Lawmakers in favor of kratom prohibition wasted no time in introducing ban bills at the start of the 2024 legislative session.

On January 8, the Georgia Assembly’s first day of sessions for 2024, lawmakers resurrected HB181, a bill introduced and tabled last year that would place mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine on Schedule 1 of Georgia’s list of controlled substances.

A Kratom Consumer Protection Act (KCPA), that regulates kratom sales rather than criminalizes consumers, was passed in Georgia with overwhelming support in 2019.

KCPA laws vary, but usually prohibits sales of kratom to minors, imposes labeling requirements, and prohibits adulterated and synthetic kratom products.

In Nebraska, State Senator Loren Lippincott introduced LB972, a bill that would add kratom to the state’s list of controlled substances, criminalizing anyone in possession of kratom.

Nebraska has not addressed kratom in its legislature until 2024. Kratom is currently legal to buy, sell, possess, and there are no age or labeling restrictions on the plant in Nebraska.