kratomjournalist

Pike County is the Latest Illinois Locale to Ban Kratom

On Februrary 24, officials in Pike County, Illinois voted unanimously to ban the sale of kratom and criminalize citizens in possession of it. “I commend the local community and our state’s attorney for bringing it forward, just trying to get ahead of the situation,” said Pike County Board Chairwoman Reta Hoskin. This is the second …

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Fifth Scientific Kratom Symposium Held in Florida

The Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Nora Volkow, was the keynote speaker for this year’s Scientific Kratom Symposium. Hosted by the University of Florida College of Pharmacy at its Lake Nona research campus, the four-day event held from February 17-20, 2026, brought together roughly 100 scientists from about a dozen countries …

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Tupelo Convenience Store Owner Appeals Kratom Ban

Mohamed Gamiel, owner of Sarah Quick Stop and Liquor Corner Store in Tupelo, MS, has filed an appeal of the town’s recent decision to ban the manufacture, sale, and possession of kratom. The appeal was filed last week in Lee County Circuit Court. Gamiel argues in his appeal that Tupelo’s kratom ban is arbitrary, unsupported …

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Florida Man Who Media Claim Had “92,000 Pounds of 7-OH” Pleads Guilty to Gun Charge

Under an emergency rule, it has been illegal to sell, possess, or distribute any isolated or concentrated 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) in Florida since August 2025. 7‑OH concentrations below 1% in kratom remain legal, which keeps plain‑leaf kratom legal in Florida. In September, multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, …

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Tighter Czech Regulations Spark Wave of Negative Kratom News

In 2025, a new regulatory framework was implemented for kratom in the Czech Republic. The plant is now known as a “psychomodulatory substance”, a classification created for substances classified as neither pharmaceuticals, nor foods, nor dietary supplements. This specific classification is a new approach championed by former Czech Drug Minister Jindrich Voboril, and it could …

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Kratom Use Disorder Treatment with Methadone an Ongoing Practice

A case series published recently in the Journal of Addiction examined 14 American patients of Community Medical Services, a healthcare company specializing in the medically assisted treatment of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). The patients were diagnosed with Kratom Use Disorder (KUD) (Sherrick, 2026). The very brief report does not get into specifics about kratom product …

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Study: Traditional Kratom Use Not Associated with Blood, Organ Toxicity

Disclaimer This is an article summarizing a study on kratom consumers from Thailand, who use the traditional method of fresh leaf kratom brewed into a tea. This is not how most people consume kratom in the United States and Europe. Though the alkaloid composition varies from fresh to dried leaf kratom, the closest method to …

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Kratom Under Attack: New 2026 Bills Aim to Criminalize Consumers Across the U.S.

UPDATED FEBRUARY 25, 2026 UPDATED FEBRUARY 23, 2026 UPDATED FEBRUARY 19, 2026 UPDATED FEBRUARY 18, 2026 UPDATED FEBRUARY 17, 2026 UPDATED FEBRUARY 12, 2026: Note: This article lists only the bills that will potentially ban plain leaf kratom. Other bills not covered here, such as kratom consumer protection acts (KCPA), will ban all products containing …

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Comment Period Open Until Jan 28 on Proposed Ohio Kratom Ban

On Tuesday, January 6, the Ohio Board of Pharmacy (BOP) announced it was taking steps to ban all kratom in the state of Ohio. In August, the BOP proposed an emergency ban placing both mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) on the list of Schedule I controlled substances. The ban was halted after a call from Department …

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