Minnesota kratom debate: Lawmakers consider restrictions on 'unapproved' supplement

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Minnesota lawmakers are weighing new restrictions on kratom, a supplement that some use to treat anxiety or to help stop using opioids but which critics warn can be dangerous.

Lawmakers consider new rules for kratom sales

What we know:

State lawmakers are discussing several bills to address concerns about kratom. One set of bills would raise the minimum age to buy kratom from 18 to 21. Another set would classify kratom as a Schedule II controlled substance, meaning people would need a prescription to purchase it.

READ MORE: Punishment for selling, possessing kratom could increase under new bill

Kratom is available in several forms, including pills and liquid. FOX 9 bought a bottle of liquid kratom at an Eden Prairie smoke shop for $12.99 and a bottle of pills for $17.99. The liquid’s label reminds consumers that the Food and Drug Administration has not approved kratom for human consumption, while the pills’ label advises pregnant and nursing women not to take it.

A state senate committee discussed the bill to raise the age limit.

Democratic State Sen. Alice Mann, an emergency room doctor, co-sponsors the bill and faced questions about whether it goes far enough.

"The ones that have the synthetic additives are the ones that are causing issues, the more significant side effects, and even some deaths now have been recorded," said Mann. "We have to be very careful when we take anecdotal evidence and write laws based on that. That’s not the way we practice medicine. That’s not the way we should write laws either."

"I don’t think we’re going far enough at all": Some lawmakers say tougher restrictions are needed

Why you should care:

Kratom is still legal in Minnesota, but the FDA warns against using it, citing the risk of death in rare cases, among other concerns.

"I think we need a lot more severe restrictions on this to protect the public," said Republican State Sen. Michael Holmstrom of Buffalo, speaking at a committee hearing on Wednesday. "If we just raise the age to 21, we’re still – we’re missing so much of the conversation, and so many people are going to be in serious danger without really realizing it. I think we’re – I don’t think we’re going far enough at all."

All the bills, which have bipartisan support, would also apply to a similar substance called 7-OH.

Connecticut becomes latest state to ban kratom

Where kratom is banned:

The supplement is currently banned is seven states, including Wisconsin, Indiana, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, Vermont and Connecticut, which banned it on Wednesday.