Kratom Sold In Gas Stations Is Now Banned Across North Dakota

North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong and Attorney General Drew Wrigley on Monday announced sweeping actions to restrict access to kratom, citing overdose deaths and what they called an urgent public health threat in North Dakota.

The move includes an executive order banning the sale, use and possession of kratom products statewide starting at 5 p.m. Aug. 5, along with an emergency rule classifying 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, as a Schedule I controlled substance. That places it alongside drugs such as LSD and heroin, defined as having a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use.

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“North Dakotans are overdosing and dying from a product you can buy off the shelf in a convenience store without any regulations or age requirement,” Armstrong said.

Kratom, derived from a Southeast Asian tree, can act as a stimulant at low doses and produce opioid-like effects at higher doses, according to federal officials. Concentrated forms, including gummies and flavored drinks containing 7-OH, are widely sold in convenience stores and smoke shops with no age restrictions.

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State officials say North Dakota has recorded 50 deaths since 2019 involving kratom or related substances. In 23 cases, the substances were a primary cause of death.

Wrigley warned that marketing has obscured the risks. “The addictive, dangerous, and potentially deadly nature of kratom cannot be ignored,” he said.

Armstrong also called a special legislative session for Sept. 2 to consider making the restrictions permanent and address enforcement. David Hogue said lawmakers should act quickly, calling kratom “an opioid-acting drug” being sold without safeguards.

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Federal agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration and Food and Drug Administration, have also raised concerns, with the DEA moving to temporarily classify 7-OH as a Schedule I substance nationwide.