More officials across Orange County are starting to crackdown on the sale and distribution of kratom — a tropical tree from Southeast Asia whose leaves are being used as both a stimulant and a sedative in different doses.
It comes as some say the plant in its natural form can help with chronic pain and it should be regulated not banned, arguing that products that have a highly enhanced psychoactive chemical derived from kratom are the real danger.
Officials at California Department of Public Health, however, say claims that kratom can treat pain are unproven and it can have side effects like insomnia, anxiety, seizures and fatal respiratory depression.
The bans are being adopted as a new bill authored by State Senator Tom Umberg originally would have added 7-hydroxymitragynine or 7-OH – a psychoactive ingredient in kratom – to the Schedule I controlled substances list, except when it naturally occurs in the kratom plant.
Umberg’s bill would also ban smoke shops from selling nitrous oxide or whippets as officials across the county have also been adopting laws prohibiting the sale of the gas for recreational use.
“Products containing higher concentrations of 7-OH than is naturally occurring in the kratom plant are being sold at gas stations and smoke shops, and they’ve earned the appellation as gas station heroin,” Umberg said at a state senate public safety committee hearing on the bill last week.
“These products are not FDA approved and have raised alarms by an increase in poison control calls.”
In October 2025, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported six fatal overdoses linked to 7-OH.
On Jan. 13, the State Senate Public Safety Committee passed the bill on to the appropriations committee, amending it to make the sale or distribution of products with unnatural levels of 7-OH a misdemeanor – a change Umberg said he accepted at the meeting.
It came as some people called on the committee to reject the bill, arguing against criminalization and arguing that many use it to manage chronic pain.
Committee Chair Jesse ArreguĂn said there needs to be a robust public discussion on the health impacts of kratom.
“I personally would like to see this ultimately regulated,” he said at the Jan. 13 committee meeting.
“There are some people, including those members of the public, who’ve come today, who have used this responsibly. It does help with pain management or helping address various addiction issues. There’s some who have sadly abused it, and there have been tragic consequences.”
Senator Anna Caballero agreed and said the debate on kratom reminded her of the 1930s film Reefer Madness.
“It was a crazy video. It showed people that smoked marijuana going kind of apeshit, if you will and if you know anything about marijuana, it’s just not true. People fall asleep, or they eat themselves into a coma,” she said at the meeting.
“We need to study this more. We need an understanding of the beneficial uses and then advise people of the dangers as well.”
OC Cities Crack Down on Kratom
Officials in Stanton, Tustin, and Newport Beach have all adopted ordinances outright banning the sale of kratom products.
Orange County Board of Supervisors, Huntington Beach, Laguna Niguel and Buena Park officials adopted ordinances prohibiting the sale, distribution, or possession of kratom and other products that contain more than 2% of 7-OH in the alkaloid fraction.
Meanwhile, a majority of officials in Irvine opted not to discuss a ban on kratom with some citing fears of duplicating existing state laws.
[Read: As More Orange County Cities Crack Down on Whippets, Irvine Sidesteps Ban]
Last week, Anaheim officials unanimously approved the second reading of their ordinance prohibiting the sale, distribution or possession of kratom and other products containing more than 2% of 7-OH in the alkaloid fraction.
It also prohibits synthetic enhancements and restricts packaging and marketing practices that target minors.
City of Orange officials unanimously adopted their own ordinance last week outright banning the sale and distribution of any Kratom products.
At the meeting, two people spoke out against the ban.
Allison Smith, director of government affairs for the Global Kratom Coalition, said the ban would harm people who responsibly use natural kratom products and said the plant and 7-OH are not the same thing.
“Approximately 3 million Californians use kratom. They’re probably all in bed right now,” she said at the meeting.
“7-OH products are lab created opioids that have been synthetically enhanced with high levels of 7-OH and concentrated to a potency that is 100 times what the impact of natural kratom is and it’s 12 times and 13 times more potent than morphine.”
Steven McIntosh, a kratom user, said he uses the plant to alleviate his chronic pain and suggested the council adopt an ordinance similar to the one adopted by the OC Board of Supervisors.
“I had a massive heart attack at a young age. They broke my ribs trying to revive me. It didn’t heal. I’m in pain every day of my life. I use kratom because it’s much more functional than medical marijuana,” he told officials.
“This is a permanent problem I have, and I found a solution, and now it’s going to be ripped away. It could be ripped away because some people choose to misuse it, or they fail to differentiate the difference between botanical kratom and highly synthesized 7-OH.”
Mayor Dan Slater said he was sympathetic to o its medical pain relieving purposes but voted in favor of the ban.
“I certainly am sympathetic to natural sources for medical purposes, and medical marijuana got me through dreadful chemotherapy treatments 30 years ago,” he said.
“But I also strongly support our staff and their recommendations, and there must be valid reasons why they’re proposing this.”
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.