Irvine is joining a growing list of Orange County cities cracking down on synthetic kratom products, as federal regulators consider classifying the drug as a Schedule I controlled substance.
The Irvine City Council approved an ordinance imposing stricter regulations on the sale and distribution of synthetic kratom.
Under the new rules, natural kratom products can only be sold to customers 21 and older. The ordinance also establishes potency limits, banning the sale and distribution of kratom products containing more than 2% of a compound called 7-hydroxymitragynine or 7-OH.
Kratom comes from a plant native to Southeast Asia, whose leaves are typically dried and consumed for their stimulant or sedative effects, depending on the dosage. In smaller amounts, the substance can produce effects similar to caffeine.
However, its compound, 7-OH, can produce opioid-like effects, particularly when its concentration is artificially increased.
Supporters of kratom argue that the plant offers an alternative to potentially addictive prescription painkillers, while critics have raised concerns about the risks associated with concentrated synthetic products.
As a result, some local governments have moved to prohibit synthetic kratom, while others have pursued broader bans on the substance altogether.
Fountain Valley approved a synthetic kratom ban earlier this year, while Dana Point and Garden Grove were also among the cities that considered similar restrictions.
Cities like Los Alamitos, Anaheim, Buena Park, Huntington Beach and Laguna Niguel, have prohibited the sale of kratom products containing more than 2% 7-OH. Newport Beach, Dana Point, Tustin and Stanton have gone further, adopting bans on the sale and distribution of all kratom products within their city limits.
Irvine’s ordinance also requires retailers to verify customers’ ages before selling kratom products and prohibits the sale and distribution of synthetic kratom within city limits.
The new regulations also carry criminal and administrative consequences. Anyone found violating the ordinance could face misdemeanor charges, a fine of up to $1,000, six months behind bars or a combination of those penalties.
Retailers that fail to comply could also lose their business licenses.
The council’s approval comes after Councilmember Melinda Liu pushed for similar restrictions last year but failed to secure enough support from her colleagues to move the proposal forward.
The measure initially passed in a 5-2 vote on Oct. 13, with Councilmembers Mike Carroll and James Mai opposing it. Two weeks later, on Oct. 27, the council unanimously gave the ordinance its final approval, the Voice of OC reported.
During the Oct. 13 meeting, Liu said the city had received considerable support from residents urging officials to take action against synthetic kratom.
“We have received many emails thanking the city for looking into adopting an ordinance to regulate and ban synthetic kratom,” Liu said.
“We probably should not be waiting for something bad to happen before we act on it.”
But Mai questioned whether the city needed to adopt its own restrictions, pointing to anticipated federal regulations that would classify synthetic kratom compounds as Schedule I controlled substances.
“How many shops actually sell this in Irvine? I don’t think any of them do,” he said at the meeting.
“We could put an ordinance to ban cocaine and fentanyl as well under the same premise here,” Mai added. “I just hope in the future we can be more thoughtful about our actions up here.”
