Fountain Valley is joining the growing list of Orange County cities barring synthetic kratom sales in the city \u2013 alongside at least 11 other cities in OC banning the synthetic form.<\/p>\n
Kratom is a plant from Southeast Asia. It can be dried and is used as a stimulant or sedative, depending on its dosage, and is often sold in smoke shops and gas stations.<\/p>\n
When taken in its natural form, the effects can be compared to those of caffeine, like increased energy. However, when a single component of the drug \u2013 7-hydroxymitragynine or 7-OH \u2013 is isolated and synthetically amplified, the product can imitate an opioid.<\/p>\n
Last week, Fountain Valley City Council members voted 4-1 to ban the synthetic version of the drug, with Councilman Patrick Harper dissenting, saying there\u2019s not an issue with the substance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The ban is slated to go into effect Sept. 17.<\/p>\n
Despite Harper\u2019s disagreement with the ordinance at both the July 14 and August 18 meetings, other council members saw the ordinance as a positive move, with both Councilmembers Kim Constantine and Ted Bui speaking their support at the July meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll support it, especially this is not natural kratom we\u2019re talking about here, we\u2019re talking about the synthetic one, and that\u2019s the component that is a risk for the city,\u201d Bui said at the July meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess my feeling on this is that, although it\u2019s kind of trendy to adopt these kinds of ordinances, with the fact that there seems to be no issue with [kratom] right now, I would not be in support of this ordinance,\u201d Harper said at the July 14 meeting.<\/p>\n
Fountain Valley\u2019s new ordinance is specifically targeting synthetic versions of the drug, introducing a 21+ age restriction and making packaging unappealing to children.<\/p>\n
The ordinance was originally introduced to city officials on July 14 and was largely supported by council members, except Harper.<\/p>\n
The synthetically modified kratom can create an opioid-like effect, and is used by some for pain management or to assist with opioid withdrawal.<\/p>\n
However, kratom can come with withdrawals, despite its use as an opioid-alternative.<\/p>\n
According to Greg Kiesow, founder and executive director of Kratom Anonymous, education and support are a major part of assisting those in addiction and should be offered in cities planning to take kratom off shelves.<\/p>\n
Kiesow organized a 12-step support group which functions similarly to Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous, but specifically for kratom users, after becoming addicted to the synthetic version of the product in the early 2000s.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, it was like Vicodin,\u201d Kiesow said in an interview with Voice of OC. \u201cAs soon as it hit my bloodstream, I was off to the races, and I was taking 7-OH every 4 hours.\u201d<\/p>\n
Because there are so few regulations on kratom, it becomes challenging to tell if a product is natural or synthetic. This is leading cities across OC to increasingly banning the product entirely, while some are only looking to crack down on the more potent synthetic version.<\/p>\n
At the July 14 meeting, several members of the public spoke out in support of the ordinance, including those who actively use natural kratom for chronic pain.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the whole opiate epidemic in full swing, it\u2019s so difficult for people to have access to pain medication and other things that help, so alternatives like kratom \u2013 natural kratom \u2013 are just a godsend,\u201d said Lora Romney, president of the International Plant & Herbal Alliance, at the July meeting.<\/p>\n
Bans on kratom and whippets have taken a sharp increase in the past few months across OC, most recently with La Habra looking to ban both the drugs and place restrictions on smoke shops operating in the city.<\/p>\n
[Read: La Habra Eyes Kratom and Whippet Ban<\/a>]<\/p>\n Additionally, in the past year, cities like Irvine<\/a>, Dana Point and Garden Grove<\/a> have all eyed kratom bans.<\/p>\n