Connecticut lawmakers sneaked a last-minute amendment that will schedule kratom into a bill originally meant to regulate hemp products.
HB6855 has passed both houses and only awaits the signature of Governor Ned Lamont to become law. The bill was originally introduced on February 2nd, with the kratom scheduling amendment not added until June 2nd. It passed the House and Senate by June 4th.
Should Gov. Lamont not veto the bill, kratom will be scheduled as a controlled substance and classified “in the appropriate schedule” according to the bill. Should kratom be classified as Schedule I, it would be just as illegal as LSD or heroin. If kratom is Schedule II, it could be used medically. Any classification is effectively a ban, as Connecticut kratom consumers will be unable to obtain kratom except under specific circumstances.
Both the Global Kratom Coalition (GKC) and the American Kratom Association (AKA) urged kratom advocates to contace Gov. Ned Lamont to ask for a veto. The GKC posted on X:
What HB 6855 Would Do to Kratom: -Classifies all types of kratom as a controlled substance -Could make it a Schedule 1 drug -Create regulatory implications Contact Governor Lamont and urge him to oppose HB 6855! Phone: 860-566-4840 (press 1) Email: https://buff.ly/He1xEF6
The AKA posted on X:
URGENT HELP NEEDED H.B. 6855 IN CONNECTICUT WILL BAN KRATOM Tell the Governor to Veto Substitute H.B. No. 6855 that makes Mitragyna speciosa (kratom) an illegal controlled substance. H.B. 6855 was written for Cannabis and Hemp, not kratom BUT KRATOM WAS SNUCK IN https://protectkratom.org/connecticut