The Board of Supervisors Tuesday will hold an initial public hearing on a proposal to curb sales of synthetic pain-relieving products that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration may designate as controlled substances.
The Riverside County Executive Office, following consultations with the District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Department and other agencies, submitted a formal request for the board to consider implementing a set of regulations aimed at deterring any sales and marketing of kratom derivatives to minors.
The main emphasis would be on so-called “7-OH” products, which contain alkaloids produced using biosynthetic methods. The 7-OH derivatives are based on kratom leaf or kratom leaf extracts originating from a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia, officials said.
Their properties have pain-relieving influences similar to morphine and heroin.
“Highly concentrated and synthetic kratom-based products — marketed in the form of powders, capsules, gummies and `energy shots’ — have proliferated in the U.S,” the EO said in a statement posted to the board’s agenda Tuesday. “These products are commonly sold online, in smoke shops and at convenience stores, often with no quality control or labeling standards.”
In July, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration requested that the DEA formally review kratom derivatives and consider placing them on the federal list of controlled substances, which would result in stringent regulations. The DEA is still in the review stage.
“High-concentration 7-OH products have been linked to addiction, overdose, liver injury and psychosis, including hallucinations and confusion,” according to the EO.
The California Legislature is in the process of sorting out possible statewide restrictions on 7-OH sales. In the meantime, localities have taken regulatory steps of their own.
The cities of Jurupa Valley, Newport Beach, Oceanside, San Diego and Solano Beach now have ordinances in place that prohibit some 7-OH marketing and sales.
The proposed Riverside County regulatory scheme would bar the sale of any kratom-based products that contain more than 2% of alkaloids to anyone under 21 years old. The county would further outlaw any marketing of the derivatives to youths via advertisements or brand packaging.
Violations would result in potential misdemeanor criminal charges and fines.