{"id":54609,"date":"2025-11-28T11:04:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T11:04:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/54609\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T11:04:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T11:04:14","slug":"a-gateway-to-drug-use-lurking-at-gas-stations-staten-island-leaders-push-to-ban-sale-of-kratom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/54609\/","title":{"rendered":"A gateway to drug use lurking at gas stations? Staten Island leaders push to ban sale of kratom"},"content":{"rendered":"

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 The Staten Island Fentanyl and Overdose Task Force is calling for a statewide ban on the sale of kratom, a legal but dangerous substance that critics say is being marketed to children.<\/p>\n

Kratom, an opioid-like substance, could become the next major gateway drug that sets children on the path to addiction, according to the task force\u2019s final report and recommendations for Gov. Kathy Hochul and state legislators.<\/p>\n

The report, unveiled at a news conference earlier this month hosted by District Attorney Michael E. McMahon, shines a spotlight on the plant-based substance that often is touted as a natural supplement. <\/p>\n

Widely sold at convenience stores, delis and gas stations on Staten Island and throughout the United States, kratom is legal in New York and most other states and is not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the U.S., the use of kratom has increased markedly in recent years,\u201d according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.<\/p>\n

McMahon previously said he cannot prosecute for kratom because it is not on the schedule of controlled substances for New York State.<\/p>\n

The task force unanimously agreed to advocate for statewide regulation of kratom after Dr. Tucker Woods, associate chairman of emergency medicine at Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, and Jayne Graham, a grieving mother, raised the alarm about the substance<\/a> during a task force meeting earlier this year.<\/p>\n

Produced from the leaves of the mitragyna speciosa tree native to Southeast Asia, kratom acts as a stimulant when ingested in small amounts and as a sedative when consumed in higher doses, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The drug affects the opioid receptors that are found throughout the body and play a role in regulating pain, according to medical experts.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt low doses, it mellows you out,\u201d Woods said. \u201cBut at high doses, it acts just like an opioid. It goes to the opioid receptors, and I almost consider it like opioids being sold in gas stations and smoke shops.\u201d<\/p>\n

Woods described kratom as \u201ca huge problem\u201d both in terms of its addictive quality and the fact that \u201cit\u2019s so accessible. When you buy your lottery tickets, you can also get kratom.\u201d<\/p>\n

The doctor cautioned that when it comes to kratom, \u201cit\u2019s buyer beware because in these gas stations and smoke shops, it might say kratom, but you have no idea what\u2019s in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Push to keep kratom away from kids<\/p>\n

The task force unanimously agreed that kratom\u2019s status as a legal drug \u201crepresents a grave public-health risk\u201d and has asked that the substance be added to the New York State Schedule of Controlled Substances.<\/p>\n

The report also points out that there is no age limit for purchasing kratom in the borough and throughout the state, turning children into easy prey for unscrupulous manufacturers and sellers. <\/p>\n

\u201cLike the vaping epidemic, kratom products are marketed in appealing forms that could draw adolescents and young adults,\u201d according to the report. \u201cWithout regulation or education, young people risk using kratom as a gateway into opioid and substance addiction.\u201d<\/p>\n

But setting an age limit for sale, such as is currently in place for cigarettes and alcohol, would not go far enough in protecting the public, according to the report.<\/p>\n

\u201cImplementing age restrictions alone will not be enough to address the underlying risk,\u201d according to the report. \u201cKratom\u2019s chemical composition and addictive potential make it an opioid-like substance that should not be available for casual or unmonitored use.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kratom contains the highly addictive component 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH).<\/p>\n

The task force seeks \u201cstatewide regulation, public-awareness campaigns, and retail accountability to curb exposure among minors and protect the next generation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since the product is not subject to oversight by the Food and Drug Administration, manufacturers do not have to comply with any safety standards. They are free to determine the ingredients and change them at any time, experts say.<\/p>\n

\u201cKratom is dangerously under-regulated, with no oversight of potency, manufacturing, or additives\u201d according to the report. \u201cVariability in product composition means that consumers can unknowingly ingest lethal combinations, including synthetic opioids and adulterants.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Food and Drug Administration \u201chas warned consumers not to use kratom because of the risk of serious adverse events, including liver toxicity, seizures, and substance use disorder,\u201d according to the agency\u2019s website. \u201cIn rare cases, deaths have been associated with kratom use, as confirmed by a medical examiner or toxicology reports. However, in these cases, kratom was usually used in combination with other drugs, and the contribution of kratom in the deaths is unclear.\u201d<\/p>\n

The task force is asking the governor and the state legislature to do the following:<\/p>\n

Add kratom (mitragyna speciosa) to the New York State Schedule of Controlled Substances as a Schedule I substance;Ban or tightly regulate retail sale and distribution of kratom products across all commercial outlets;Implement statewide enforcement measures to prevent youth-targeted marketing and underage access;Launch public education campaigns to raise awareness of kratom\u2019s dangers, particularly among young people and families;Monitor and analyze kratom-related overdose and hospitalization data to inform future prevention and treatment strategies.\"StatenThe Staten Island Fentanyl and Overdose Task Force reveals its legislative agenda during a news conference Wednesday hosted by District Attorney Michael E. McMahon at his office in St. George on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. McMahon speaks at the podium.(Advance\/SILive.com | Jan Somma-Hammel)Mother says son died from using kratom<\/p>\n

Jayne Graham told the task force that her son, Francis, 34, died after overdosing on kratom in April 2023. She recalled the horror of finding her son after she knocked on his bedroom door because she hadn\u2019t seen him for a few hours.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a mother with a vengeance,\u201d Graham said, explaining that she has been trying to raise awareness about the dangers of kratom.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just stunned that it\u2019s not even regulated, let alone illegal,\u201d Woods said of kratom. \u201cBut I think at a minimum, it has to be regulated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Woods said that users often develop a \u201csuper high tolerance\u201d to kratom. He cited a patient who escalated from seven to 80 capsules per day in just a few weeks, consuming all doses within minutes of waking for the day. <\/p>\n

Woods warned that some companies will extract that 7-hydroxymitragynine to \u201cmake it even more potent, so you get it in this little elixir, and it can be deadly.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 The Staten Island Fentanyl and Overdose Task Force is calling for a statewide ban…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":54610,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":["post-54609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-staten-island","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-staten-island","tag-staten-island-headlines","tag-staten-island-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54609"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54609\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}