San Mateo County on Tuesday banned the sale of kratom, citing concerns that the herbal substance marketed for its energy-boosting and pain relief properties can cause addiction, overdoses and other health harms.
Supervisors unanimously approved an ordinance banning the sale of kratom products in unincorporated parts of the county, becoming the first Bay Area county to do so.
Kratom is the leaf of a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia and has sedative, stimulant and opioid properties, according to the California Department of Public Health. Kratom and its derivatives — particularly 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH — are commonly sold in drinks, gummies and tablets.
Kratom can produce opioid-like effects because its compounds partially activate the same receptors in the brain as opioid receptors. In 2025, U.S. poison centers received a record-high 3,434 reports of kratom exposure — a roughly 1,200% increase from the 258 reports in 2015, according to a recent analysis from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In California, kratom was implicated in 242 deaths from 2020 to 2022, with 27 blamed solely on the product, according to state figures.
“People are going into stores and really finding an opioid that is readily present, available and being marketed, and in many cases being marketed to youth,” Mueller said in a statement.
The county’s health officer, Dr. Kismet Baldwin-Santana, said she supports the ban “in light of the fact that there are known health risks due to kratom and its alkaloid derivatives, including overdoses, deaths and other adverse effects.”
The San Mateo County ordinance notes that sales of kratom and 7-OH are not specifically banned by state law, though the state Department of Public Health issued a warning in 2025 that the substances are illegal to sell in food and drink products in California under its Sherman Food, Drug and Cosmetic Law.
The county ordinance is intended to fill “any potential regulatory gap” by creating a specific ban.
The ordinance makes selling or distributing kratom and 7-OH products a misdemeanor with penalties including a fine up to $1,000 and a maximum 6 months in jail. Retailers found in violation could also lose their tobacco sales permit and other county-issued licenses.