Utah lawmakers are debating the regulation and potential ban of kratom, a leaf native to Southeast Asia that millions of Americans use to self-treat pain, anxiety, opioid use disorder, and other conditions. The issue divides chronic pain patients who credit kratom with improving their quality of life from public health officials and families who have lost loved ones to kratom-related overdoses.
Lora Romney, who has suffered from trigeminal neuralgia—a disorder causing chronic facial pain—for 14 years, found relief with kratom after trying over 30 medications and brain surgery without success. She dropped opioid medications and maintained kratom use for nine years. However, Lance Crump’s wife, Britaney, died of a kratom overdose in 2023 after developing tolerance and increasing her dose over years of use. A toxicology report confirmed kratom as the cause, though she was also taking gabapentin, which has a dangerous interaction with kratom. From July 2020 through 2025, Utah counted 158 fatal overdoses involving kratom; about 94% involved at least one other substance, most commonly fentanyl, gabapentin, alcohol, methamphetamine, and amphetamine.
Senate Majority Assistant Whip Mike McKell is sponsoring a total kratom ban, citing high addiction rates, strong withdrawal issues, and deaths since the 2019 Kratom Consumer Protection Act. According to an overdose fatality examiner at the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, the office hadn’t seen kratom-related overdoses before 2014; since then there has been a steady increase, making up between 4% and 6% of all fatal drug overdoses in the state. McKell noted that since kratom regulatory framework was established, “deaths in the state of Utah skyrocketed.”
A primary concern is that products in gas stations and smoke shops artificially enhance 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), a minor constituent with effects similar to opioids. Utah’s current law forbids products containing synthetic forms of 7-OH, and other 7-OH-specific legislation is advancing. However, McKell argues mitragynine, the primary chemical in kratom leaf, is also problematic because high amounts metabolize into 7-OH in the body. An alternative proposal by House Minority Whip Jennifer Dailey-Provost would establish regulatory frameworks, raise the age limit to 21, and impose stricter processor and retailer requirements.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://kiowacountypress.net/content/kratom-has-given-and-taken-chronic-pain-patients-will-utah-ban-it