Georgia has 3 new bills – A resolution creating the Joint Study Committee on Risks Associated with Kratom; and for other purposes.

Senate Resolution 783
By: Senator Mullis of the 53rd

LC 33 7315

A RESOLUTION

1. 1  Creating the Joint Study Committee on Risks Associated with Kratom; and for other
2. 2  purposes.
3. 3  WHEREAS, although kratom is a relatively new drug to the United States, it has been used
4. 4  for many years in Southeast Asia as an anti-diarrheal medicine, a painkiller, and a
5. 5  recreational drug; and
6. 6  WHEREAS, kratom is a plant that grows in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Papua New
7. 7  Guinea. However, kratom is banned in Australia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand and,
8. 8  in the United States, is banned in Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Tennessee, and Wisconsin;
9. 9  and
10. 10  WHEREAS, kratom is being advertised as a replacement for opioid painkillers and touted
11. 11  as a way to treat addiction to opioids; and
12. 12  WHEREAS, kratom is contained in unregulated supplements as a concentration booster and
13. 13  workout enhancer; and
14. 14  WHEREAS, according to FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, “evidence shows that kratom
15. 15  has similar effects to narcotics like opioids, and carries similar risks of abuse, addiction and
16. 16  in some cases, death”; and
17. 17  WHEREAS, calls to poison control centers in the United States regarding kratom have
18. 18  increased ten-fold from 2010 to 2015; and
19. 19  WHEREAS, on February 6, 2018, Commissioner Gottlieb released a statement declaring
20. 20  kratom to be an opioid; and

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21. 21  WHEREAS, “As the scientific data and adverse event reports have clearly revealed,
22. 22  compounds in kratom make it so it isn’t just a plant — it’s an opioid,” Commissioner Gottlieb
23. 23  declared in the statement; and
24. 24  WHEREAS, it would be beneficial to study the use and risks of kratom to determine if action
25. 25  by the state is necessary to address the issue.
26. 26  NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
27. 27  GEORGIA:
28. 28  (1) Creation of joint study committee. There is created the Joint Study Committee on
29. 29  Risks Associated with Kratom.
30. 30  (2) Members and officers. The committee shall be composed of six members, as
31. 31  follows:
32. 32  (A) Three members of the Senate to be appointed by the President of the Senate, who
33. 33  shall designate one of such members as cochairperson; and
34. 34  (B) Three members of the House of Representatives to be appointed by the Speaker of
35. 35  the House of Representatives, who shall designate one of such members as
36. 36  cochairperson.
37. 37  (3) Powers and duties. The committee shall undertake a study of the conditions, needs,
38. 38  issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and recommend any action or
39. 39  legislation which the committee deems necessary or appropriate.
40. 40  (4) Meetings. The cochairpersons shall call all meetings of the committee. The
41. 41  committee may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem
42. 42  necessary or convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform
43. 43  its duties, and accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution.
44. 44  (5) Allowances and funding. The members of the committee shall receive the
45. 45  allowances provided for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Official Code of Georgia
46. 46  Annotated. The allowances authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any
47. 47  member of the committee for more than five days unless additional days are authorized.
48. 48  Funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds
49. 49  appropriated to the Senate and the House of Representatives.
50. 50  (6) Report.
51. 51  (A) In the event the committee adopts any specific findings or recommendations that
52. 52  include suggestions for proposed legislation, the cochairpersons shall file a report of the
53. 53  same prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolution, subject to
54. 54  subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.

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(B) In the event the committee adopts a report that does not include suggestions for proposed legislation, the cochairpersons shall file the report, subject to subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.
(C) No report shall be filed unless the same has been approved prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolution by majority vote of a quorum of the committee. A report so approved shall be signed by the cochairpersons of the committee and filed with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives.

(D) In the absence of an approved report, the cochairpersons may file with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives copies of the minutes of the meetings of the committee in lieu thereof.

(7) Abolishment. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1, 2018.

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