Is Kratom Legal in South Carolina? How About Tattoos?

What's the status of kratom in South Carolina? And what about tattoos?

No significant moves by the state legislature to ban or regulate kratom in South Carolina occurred until 2023. That year, H3742 was introduced. The bill would classify kratom as a Schedule IV substance.

According to the bill: "The Department shall place a substance in Schedule IV if it finds that: (a) It has a low potential for abuse relative to the substances in Schedule III; (b) It has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States; and (c) Abuse of the substance may lead to limited physical or psychological dependence relative to substances in Schedule III.”

This would make kratom illegal to manufacture, sell, purchase, or “possess with the intent to manufacture, distribute, dispense, deliver, or purchase a controlled substance or a controlled substance analogue”.

H3742 was not passed at end of 2023 session, but was reintroduced in 2024.

Another kratom bill was also introduced in 2024: H5043, the South Carolina Kratom Consumer Protection Act. This would regulate the sale of kratom to ensure it would be safe to consume by adults only.

H5043 has multiple bipartisan sponsors and is currently in the Committee on Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs.

What about tattoos?

Tattoo parlors only became legal in South Carolina in 2004. South Carolina is currently the only state that forbids tattoo artists to apply tattoos to the head, neck, and face.

South Carolina had other wacky laws.

Until recently, South Carolina forced bars to stock only mini bottles of liquor (sometimes known as "airplane bottles"), so they could measure out one serving per drink. This changed in 2006 and the SC legislature allowed regular sized bottles in bars. But that same year, 2006, the SC legislature also considered banning the sale of sex toys throughout the state.