Pocatello City Council hears public testimony for proposed Kratom ban ordinance

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – The Pocatello City Council heard from community members at a public hearing on November 5 regarding a proposed ordinance on the sale of kratom products in the city. More citizens spoke in support of the ban ordinance, while several argued that it isn't a necessary policy.

The Pocatello Police Department first presented information on the proposed ban ordinance. The ordinance would not make possession or use of the drug illegal, only the sale of it.

"The goal of this proposal is to take a proactive approach to public safety, reduce local accessibility, and provide a clear and consistent standard for businesses operating within the city," said Mallory Bascom, licensing enforcement officer with the Pocatello Police Department.

Bascom read a portion of written testimony from a 17-year-old who had lost a cousin to kratom. "It [kratom] is sold in gas stations, known as 'gas station heroin or crack', advertised in bright, colorful packaging sometimes next to energy drinks and everyday snacks," Bascom read to the council from the testimony. "It is marketed as an energy-booster, mood enhancer, pain reliever, or pre-workout, making it look harmless and appealing to teenagers and athletes. Young people deserve to grow up in a community that puts their safety first."

The podium was then opened to public testimony. Tia, a Pocatello resident, spoke first about the death of her young daughter due to kratom use. After beginning to take kratom as a medication for her condition, she became addicted and died from the drug.

"It helped, it did help I'm not going to deny that," Tia told the council. "But it grew into an addiction, she became addicted to it and it eventually led to her death."

Tia's story echoed many others shared during Thursday night's public hearing, including those from family members who lost loved ones to kratom use. By sharing their personal experiences, speakers hoped to help the City Council better understand the risks of unregulated kratom sales in the community.

"I find it really reckless that anybody can walk into a gas station of any age and purchase an opiate product in any form, concentrated or not," said community member Michelle York. "This product has a lot of health risks for the person, the user that take it, but it also has a lot of health risks for the people around the user."

Dr. Ryan Hope, a pain management and addiction specialist at Bingham Hospital, said that half of his clinic's patients are opioid-addicted. In the last year, he said 25 percent of those cases were addicted to kratom.

"It's a very significant problem," Hope said. "We don't even have an official diagnosis for kratom use disorder, it's too new. So, we classify these patients as opioid use disorder or substance use disorder. Those ones who become addicted are devastated. I see them everyday, lose their jobs and families ruined. I've seen people spend $100 to $150 per day on kratum products."

Another citizen, Jim Abel, said he moved his family from Spokane, Washington to get away from the rampant drug use. Unfortunately, one of his family members became addicted to kratum after coming to Pocatello and experienced seizures.

"We want Pocatello to be a place where families can come and have a restbit from harmful, addictive drugs and that's what kratum is," he said.

Several other community members spoke in favor of the kratom ban, before a few took the podium to speak against the ban. Pat Soulliere is a representative of Animal Farm, an Idaho-based company with several businesses in the kratom industry. He said the state legislature will tackle the issue soon, and Pocatello itself doesn't need a city-wide ban.

"It is not going to get kicked down the road again and they are going to look to either putting strong regulations that protect consumers, or ban it will be the two options," Soulliere said. "We're asking the City Council to remove the synthetics from the community. No one is opposed to that. But wait and see what the state does under natural leaf, botanical kratom."

Joyce Bybee spoke against the ban, saying the ordinance banning commercial sales of kratom products will really only effect businessowners, and not have the positive effects on the community that people who support the ban are hoping for.

"With the patchwork laws and ordinances around here, people will still have it," Bybee said. "I agree that the state needs to handle this, I don't think the city is the right body to determine if a substance should or shouldn't be sold."

The Pocatello City Council is scheduled to vote on the ban ordinance on November 19.