Ban Stalled in Senate

As Michigan News Source previously reported, the Michigan House voted 56-48 in March to approve House Bill 5537, which would make it illegal to grow, synthesize, sell, offer for sale, give, import or distribute kratom or synthetic variants of the substance. Violations would be misdemeanors, with tougher penalties for repeat offenses and violations involving minors. The bill exempts kratom approved by the FDA as a drug product, a dietary supplement, or a food additive in conventional food. That exception does not apply to synthetic variants of kratom.

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The bill was sent to the Senate on March 24 but has remained in the Government Operations Committee.

House Oversight Committee Chair Jay DeBoyer and Regulatory Reform Committee Chair Joe Aragona are urging senators to act.

“We can’t play politics or drag our feet with public health,” DeBoyer said Oct. 2. “Lives are at stake.”

Concerns Growing

Kratom has increasingly appeared in concentrated or chemically enhanced gummies, vape cartridges and drinks. The FDA has warned consumers to avoid concentrated 7-OH products, describing them as potent opioid products.

CDC data released this year found kratom-related poison-center reports rose from 258 in 2015 to 3,434 in 2025. The agency identified 233 kratom-associated deaths during that period, although 79% involved multiple substances.

Concern has intensified following the Sept. 21 deaths of University of Mississippi students Aidan Hamilton, 18, and Robert Strang, 20. Kratom-related products were reportedly found as part of the investigations into their deaths, but authorities have not determined that kratom caused either death. Toxicology results remain pending.