{"id":204097,"date":"2026-03-04T16:46:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T16:46:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/204097\/"},"modified":"2026-03-04T16:46:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T16:46:10","slug":"l-a-countys-kratom-sales-ban-harms-some-who-use-it-for-pain-and-opioid-withdrawal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/204097\/","title":{"rendered":"L.A. County’s kratom sales ban harms some who use it for pain and opioid withdrawal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Nearly four months ago, Los Angeles County banned the sale of kratom, as well as 7-OH, the synthetic version of the alkaloid that is its active ingredient. The idea was to put an end to what at the time seemed like a rash of overdose deaths related to the drug.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s too soon to tell whether kratom-related deaths have dissipated as a result \u2014 or, really, whether there was ever actually an epidemic to begin with. But many L.A. residents had become reliant on kratom as something of a panacea for debilitating pain and opioid withdrawal symptoms, and the new rules have made it harder for them to find what they say has been a lifesaving drug.<\/p>\n

Robert Wallace started using kratom a few years ago for his knees. For decades he had been in pain, which he says stems from his days as a physical education teacher for the Glendale Unified School District between 1989 and 1998, when he and his students primarily exercised on asphalt.<\/p>\n

In 2004, he had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, followed by varicose vein surgery on both legs. Over the next couple of decades, he saw pain-management specialists regularly. But the primary outcome was a growing dependence on opioid-based painkillers. \u201cI found myself seeking doctors who would prescribe it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He leaned on opioids when he could get them and alcohol when he couldn\u2019t, resulting in a strain on his marriage.<\/p>\n

When Wallace was scheduled for his first knee replacement in 2021 (he had his other knee replaced a few years later), his brother recommended he take kratom for the post-surgery pain.<\/p>\n

It seemed to work: Wallace said he takes a quarter of a teaspoon of powdered kratom twice a day, and it lets him take charge of managing his pain without prescription painkillers and eases harsh opiate-withdrawal symptoms.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s one of many Angelenos frustrated by recent efforts by the county health department to limit access to the drug. \u201cKratom has impacted my life in only positive ways,\u201d Wallace told The Times.<\/p>\n

For now, Wallace is still able to get his kratom powder, called Red Bali, by ordering from a company in Florida.<\/p>\n

However, advocates say that the county crackdown on kratom could significantly affect the ability of many Angelenos to access what they say is an affordable, safer alternative to prescription painkillers.<\/p>\n

Kratom comes from the leaves of a tree native to Southeast Asia called Mitragyna speciosa. It has been used for hundreds of years to treat chronic pain, coughing and diarrhea as well as to boost energy \u2014 in low doses, kratom appears to act as a stimulant, though in higher doses, it can have effects more like opioids.<\/p>\n

Though advocates note that kratom has been used in the U.S. for more than 50 years for all sorts of health applications, there is limited<\/a> research<\/a> that suggests kratom could have therapeutic value, and there is no scientific consensus.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s 7-OH, or 7-Hydroxymitragynine, a synthetic alkaloid derived from kratom that has similar effects and has been on the U.S. market for only about three years. However, because of its ability to bind to opioid receptors in the body, it has a higher potential for abuse than kratom.<\/p>\n

Public health officials and advocates are divided on kratom. Some say it should be heavily regulated \u2014 and 7-OH banned altogether \u2014 while others say both should be accessible, as long as there are age limitations and proper labeling, such as with alcohol or cannabis.<\/p>\n

In the U.S., kratom and 7-OH can be found in all sorts of forms, including powder, capsules and liquids \u2014 though it depends on exactly where you are in the country. Though the Food and Drug Administration has recommended that 7-OH be included as a Schedule 1 controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act, that hasn\u2019t been made official. And the plant itself remains unscheduled on the federal level.<\/p>\n

That has left states, counties and cities to decide how to regulate the substances.<\/p>\n

California failed to approve an Assembly bill in 2024<\/a> that would have required kratom products to be registered with the state, have labeling and warnings, and be prohibited from being sold to anyone younger than 21.<\/p>\n

It would also have banned products containing synthetic versions of kratom alkaloids. The state Legislature is now considering another bill<\/a> that basically does the same without banning 7-OH \u2014 while also limiting the amount of synthetic alkaloids in kratom and 7-OH products sold in the state.<\/p>\n

\u201cUntil kratom and its pharmacologically active key ingredients mitragynine and 7-OH are approved for use, they will remain classified as adulterants in drugs, dietary supplements and foods,\u201d a California Department of Public Health spokesperson previously told The Times.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state\u2019s efforts to crack down on kratom products has resulted in the removal of more than 3,300 kratom and 7-OH products from retail stores. According to a news release from the governor\u2019s office, there has been a 95% compliance rate from businesses in removing the products. <\/p>\n

\"photo <\/p>\n

(Los Angeles Times photo illustration; source photos by Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Newsom has equated these actions to the state\u2019s efforts in 2024 to quash the sale of hemp products<\/a> containing cannabinoids such as THC. Under emergency state regulations two years ago, California banned these specific hemp products<\/a> and agents with the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control seized thousands of products statewide.<\/p>\n

Since the beginning of 2026, there have been no reported violations of the ban on sales of such products. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve shown with illegal hemp products that when the state sets clear expectations and partners with businesses, compliance follows,\u201d Newsom said in a statement. \u201cThis effort builds on that model \u2014 education first, enforcement where necessary \u2014 to protect Californians.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the state\u2019s actions, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is still considering whether to regulate kratom, or ban it altogether.<\/p>\n

The county Public Health Department\u2019s decision to ban the sale of kratom didn\u2019t come out of nowhere. As Maral Farsi, deputy director of the California Department of Public Health, noted during a Feb. 18 state Senate hearing, the agency \u201cidentified 362 kratom-related overdose deaths in California between 2019 and 2023, with a steady increase from 38 in 2019 up to 92 in 2023.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, some experts say those numbers aren\u2019t as clear-cut as they seem.<\/p>\n

For example, a Los Angeles Times investigation found<\/a> that in a number of recent L.A. County deaths that were initially thought to be caused by kratom or 7-OH, there wasn\u2019t enough evidence to say those drugs alone caused the deaths; it might be the case that the danger is in mixing them with other substances.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the actual application of this new policy seems to be piecemeal at best.<\/p>\n

The county Public Health Department told The Times it conducted 2,696 kratom-related inspections between Nov. 10 and Jan. 27, and found 352 locations selling kratom products. The health department said the majority stopped selling kratom after those inspections; there were nine locations that ignored the warnings, and in those cases, inspectors impounded their kratom products.<\/p>\n

But the reality is that people who need kratom will buy it on the black market, drive far enough so they get to where it\u2019s sold legally or, like Wallace, order it online from a different state.<\/p>\n

For now, retailers who sell kratom products are simply carrying on until they\u2019re investigated by county health inspectors.<\/p>\n

Ari Agalopol, a decorated pianist and piano teacher, saw her performances and classes abruptly come to a halt in 2012 after a car accident resulted in severe spinal and knee injuries.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tried my best to do traditional acupuncture, physical therapy and hydrocortisone shots in my spine and everything,\u201d she said. \u201cFinally, after nothing was working, I relegated myself to being a pain-management patient.\u201d<\/p>\n

She was prescribed oxycodone, and while on the medication, battled depression, anhedonia and suicidal ideation. She felt as though she were in a fog when taking oxycodone, and when it ran out, \u201dthe pain would rear its ugly head.\u201d Agalopol struggled to get out of bed daily and could manage teaching only five students a week.<\/p>\n

Then, looking for alternatives to opioids, she found a Reddit thread in which people were talking up the benefits of kratom.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was kind of hesitant at first because there\u2019re so many horror stories about 7-OH, but then I researched and I realized that the natural plant is not the same as 7-OH,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She went to a local shop, Authentic Kratom in Woodland Hills, and spoke to a sales associate who helped her decide which of the 47 strains of kratom<\/a> it sold would best suit her needs.<\/p>\n

Agalopol currently takes a 75-milligram dose of mitragynine, the primary alkaloid in kratom, when necessary. It has enabled her to get back to where she was before her injury: teaching 40 students a week and performing every weekend.<\/p>\n

Agalopol believes the county hasn\u2019t done its homework on kratom. \u201cThey\u2019re just taking these actions because of public pressure, and public pressure is happening because of ignorance,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

During the course of reporting this story, Authentic Kratom has shut down its three locations; it\u2019s unclear if the closures are temporary. The owner of the business declined to comment on the matter.<\/p>\n

When she heard the news of the recent closures, Agalopol was seething. She told The Times she has enough capsules of kratom for now, but when she runs out, her option will have to be Tylenol and ibuprofen, \u201cwhich will slowly kill my liver.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cProhibition is not a public health strategy,\u201d said Jackie Subeck, executive director of 7-Hope Alliance, a nonprofit that promotes safe and responsible access to 7-OH for consumers, at the Feb. 18 Senate hearing. \u201c[It\u2019s] only going to make things worse, likely resulting in an entirely new health crisis for Californians.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nearly four months ago, Los Angeles County banned the sale of kratom, as well as 7-OH, the synthetic…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":204098,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[28838,94533,7,94535,6874,10727,28837,94531,48,52,51,47,50,49,34401,51292,94534,94532,5589,225,1791],"class_list":{"0":"post-204097","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-7-oh","9":"tag-ari-agalopol","10":"tag-california","11":"tag-county-health-department","12":"tag-drug","13":"tag-few-year","14":"tag-kratom","15":"tag-kratom-product","16":"tag-la","17":"tag-la-headlines","18":"tag-la-news","19":"tag-los-angeles","20":"tag-los-angeles-headlines","21":"tag-los-angeles-news","22":"tag-pain","23":"tag-public-health-official","24":"tag-recent-effort","25":"tag-robert-wallace","26":"tag-sale","27":"tag-state","28":"tag-times"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=204097"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204097\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/204098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=204097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=204097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=204097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}