St. Joseph City Manager gives thoughts on Kratom
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- The St. Joseph City Council will meet on Monday, Aug. 3, and will discuss a bill which would make it unlawful to possess or distribute kratom, 7-OH and tianeptine within city limits.
City Manager Mike Schumacher said the council brought this bill up for reading during the July 20 meeting due to the unknowns of the substances.
"We know that there is a substance that you can buy without any idea what is in it," said Schumacher. "We don't feel like that is right. It's a space that we want to address and really keep that stuff out of the hands of folks here in St. Joe that may not realize what they are getting themselves into."
Schumacher said he not only has an issue with the "unknown" of the substances, but he also has an issue with how easily residents can access it.
"When you walk into several of our gas stations here in town, right there with 5-Hour Energy or whatever pills or things they have on the counter, this substance exists," said Schumacher. "We feel that that's a substance that needs to be regulated at some point, but it certainly doesn't need to be sold here."
Schumacher's response also comes after a local doctor expressed his concerns with access to the drugs.
Dr. Robert Corder, a medical doctor at the Samaritan Counseling Center, said kratom is dangerous because of how easily residents can obtain it.
"What I don't like about kratom is that it's so readily accessible to the general public," said Corder. "I see people every week that are suffering from this addiction."
Corder has been reaching out to officials for several years, looking to get Kratom and hydroxymitragynine banned.
Previously in March, local health officials, along with Corder, said the drugs are easily addictive and can cause issues with overlapping symptoms. Additionally, it's hard to get away from the substances themselves.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said the substances can cause serious health problems, including addiction, poisoning and even death.
KQ2 will continue to follow this story and provide any updates to Monday night's meeting.
