MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Kratom is now another age-restricted product in Florida, joining the ranks of alcohol, cigarettes and lottery tickets.
Customers can’t seem to get enough of it at Miami Beach’s Kava Garden, but what exactly is it?
“It’s been used as a medicinal plant for hundreds of years in Indonesia and Thailand,” said Bill Dar, the co-owner of Kava Garden.
Kratom is a consumable relative of the coffee plant native to Southeast Asia that for centuries has been used as a euphoric pain reliever. In Florida now, sales of kratom products aren’t permitted to people under 21 due to legislation passed last year.
Darr told Local 10 News that Kratom is an increasingly popular alternative to alcohol and explained the different strains he serves in drinks at his cafe.
“We can take the leaves and dry them out and brew that into a tea,” he said.
Kratom can also sold at shops as an extract or powder-filled capsule, and while it’s not listed as a controlled substance, the Drug Enforcement Administration lists it as a drug and chemical of concern.
Part of Senate Bill 842 would make it illegal to sell a product that mixes Kratom with a harmful substance.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports its most recently recorded Kratom-related deaths involved combinations of Kratom with drugs like heroin, cocaine, fentanyl and prescription painkillers.
Darr says when pure and unadulterated, he finds Kratom to be safe — and even beneficial. He told Local 10 News Wednesday that its popularity growing by the day.
“It can take away some pains in the body and sort of provide a little bit of energy,” he said.
If passed, the law would also require Kratom products to include potency labels and dosage or serving size.
SB 842 would also ban any product labels claiming Kratom is intended to treat, cure or prevent any medical condition or disease.
Violators would face a $500 fine for the first offense and a $1,000 fine for each offense after.
“We expect protection as consumers we expect to know what we’re putting in our bodies,” said Darr.
Darr says he hasn’t heard of anyone pushing back against this type of Kratom regulation.
“The more the government can step in to sort of make some labeling recommendations on testing standards, that sort of thing,” he added. “I think we’re all going to be better off for it.”
The latest bill is called the Florida Kratom Consumer Protection Act, which was passed by a Florida Senate committee and now moves on for further debate in the legislature.