For the last several years, Kratom advocacy organizations have been working together to establish Kratom Consumer Protection laws at the state level. The goal of creating a network of these regulatory acts is to ensure the industry’s safety while also providing legal protections to Kratom consumers, vendors, and suppliers.
Sometimes, however, things don’t go exactly as expected. Last year, the Oregon governor vetoed a KCPA bill that was almost unanimously approved by both chambers of the legislature. This year, advocates worked with the Governor’s Office to ensure that she would not veto the KCPA for a second time.
What exactly has been happening, and what’s likely to happen next? Let’s talk about it.
What’s Happening Now in Oregon
On March 3rd, the Oregon State Senate voted to pass bill OR HB4010, also known as Oregon’s KCPA. The 2022 version of this bill was drafted with some changes from the 2021 model in order to address the issues that caused Gov. Kate Brown to veto the bill last year.
We, along with other supporters of the bill, know that mandating and regulating important aspects of the Kratom processing and sales process is necessary to keep Kratom safe and legal for our customers.
This version of the bill requires that Kratom processors register with the Department of Revenue to sell kratom products legally. The Department will work to adopt necessary regulations for those processors, such as testing mandates.
This bill ensures Oregon Kratom consumers can safely and legally buy Kratom in the state. The bill passed the Senate with a 26-0 vote for supporting it after also passing unanimously in Oregon’s House on March 2nd. Kratom supporting groups and bill sponsors modified the bill to resolve the governor’s previous questions and fully expected her to sign off on the bill.
We’re happy to report that on March 23, Governor Brown signed the Kratom Consumer Protection Act into law, signaling a major victory for the Kratom community in Oregon.
KCPA: A Review
If you’re not keeping up with the latest Kratom rules and regulations, you might not be familiar with what KCPA laws are, what they’ll do for the community, and why we find them so essential.
A KCPA, also known as Kratom Consumer Protection Act, is a bill written to provide regulatory guidance surrounding Kratom. The exact terms of the bill differ by state, but the overall goal of the bills are the same: KCPA bills are created with lawmakers in each state to ensure that Kratom processors and vendors are keeping up with safe, sanitary environments and only bringing products to market that have passed stringent quality assurance benchmarks.
Additionally, KCPA bills typically include regulations about third party laboratory testing, record keeping, and consumer notification on labels. These guidelines work together to create a safe industry that provides unadulterated and clean products to consumers.
What Does This Mean for the Future of Kratom?
House Bill 4010, also commonly known as the Oregon Kratom Consumer Protection Act, will help protect Kratom consumers in Oregon and ensure the long-term legality of the Kratom industry at large. By prohibiting sales by unregistered processors, the bill ensures that Kratom entering the market is unadulterated and adequately tested.
The key to long-term support for Kratom’s legality is to ensure that all Kratom vendors take necessary precautions to ensure consumer safety. By setting up regulations at the state level in the absence of federal guidelines, we are helping to ensure that this happens. Kratom consumers deserve clean, safe products, and vendors deserve clear guidelines to follow for selling and maintaining their businesses.
The more KCPA bills that pass across the country, the safer and stronger the Kratom community at large becomes.
Our Support: We Want KCPA For You!
Our team is proud to be one of the primary backers of the Oregon KCPA bill. For years we’ve been working hard, alongside organizations like the American Kratom Association, to ensure that the proper rules, regulations, and protections are established within the industry.
In the last four years, we’ve worked with other advocates and lawmakers in Oregon to establish protections and guidelines that are both significant safeguards for consumers and also fair to processors and customers alike. We can all do right by the Kratom community if the right rules are established, and that’s what we believe is about to be established in Oregon.
Oregon is far from the only state where we’ve been working to keep Kratom safe and legal for you. You can see other information about KCPA laws being passed in states across the country, and Kratom supporters are working on this movement every day.
Become an Advocate
If you feel strongly about Kratom remaining legal, it’s a great time to get involved as many bills are in process across the country. Some are positive and would safely regulate the industry; others would make kratom illegal.
There are many ways to get involved. From writing to your legislators to submitting your testimonies on Kratom, you can make a real difference in ensuring that lawmakers are appropriately educated on the support and science that backs Kratom.
Want to get involved? Reach out through your local Kratom organizations or the American Kratom Association to find out what you can do to testify for the safe, legal use of Kratom in your state.