https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/politics/2023/06/12/legal-kratom-in-ri-passes-house-vote-age-to-buy-raised-to-21/70312840007/

RI House votes to legalize herbal substance kratom – what to know

Kratom is currently legal on the federal level, though there have been attempts to ban it. Proponents say that it can be a safer, less-addictive alternative to dangerous drugs like opioids. Skeptics argue that it can be dangerous, and hasn’t been adequately studied.

House Bill 5530, introduced by Rep. John “Jay” Edwards, D-Tiverton, and Rep. Brian Patrick Kennedy, D-Westerly, seeks to create guardrails by requiring lab testing, and prohibiting the sale of kratom products that are contaminated or adulterated “with a dangerous non-kratom substance.”

More:This bill would legalize kratom in RI. What is it and why is it illegal now?

The bill was amended to raise the minimum age for purchasing kratom from 18 to 21. It has support from the American Kratom Association, but drew opposition from the Rhode Island Department of Health, which banned kratom in 2017.

Rep. Michelle McGaw, D-Portsmouth, said on Monday that the bill had also received opposition from the Rhode Island Medical Association and Department of Business Regulation, among others, during the committee phase. She cited their concerns in voting against the bill.

The Senate has a matching bill to legalize kratom, which was held for further study in May.