Why the Kratom Consumer Protection Act Should Not Be Passed
Over the past few years, the Kratom industry has pushed a piece of legislation known as the Kratom Consumer Protection Act (KCPA), framing it as a way to regulate the sale and use of Kratom in the United States. On the surface, it may sound like a move toward consumer safety — but in reality, this bill is a cleverly disguised attempt to legitimize and protect an unregulated, dangerous substance that has already claimed far too many lives.
What is the Kratom Consumer Protection Act?
The KCPA is a piece of model legislation promoted by the American Kratom Association (AKA), an industry-funded lobbying group with a vested interest in keeping Kratom legal and accessible. The act seeks to regulate the manufacture and sale of Kratom rather than banning it outright. It focuses on issues like:
• Age restrictions (usually 18+)
• Labeling requirements
• Limits on adulterants and contaminants
• Product testing guidelines
While these regulations may seem reasonable, they serve one primary purpose: to block efforts to ban Kratom altogether.
Why the KCPA is Dangerous
1. It Legitimizes a Deadly Substance
Kratom is not a harmless herbal supplement. It acts on the same brain receptors as opioids. It has been linked to seizures, hallucinations, addiction, organ damage, and death. Many families — including mine — have lost loved ones to mitragynine toxicity, the active compound in Kratom. The KCPA ignores these dangers and treats Kratom like it’s safe enough to stay on store shelves with a warning label. It is not.
2. It Puts Profits Before People
The KCPA is backed by an industry making millions off vulnerable people. Instead of investing in true scientific research or addressing the harm Kratom has caused, they’re lobbying lawmakers with misleading narratives about “freedom of choice” and “safe access.” But this isn’t about choice — it’s about protecting a predatory business model at the expense of public health.
3. It Undermines Federal Oversight
The FDA has already issued multiple warnings about Kratom. The DEA once considered scheduling it as a controlled substance. Rather than supporting those efforts, the KCPA circumvents federal authority and creates a patchwork of weak, state-level rules that are nearly impossible to enforce.
4. It Gives a False Sense of Safety
When something is “regulated,” the public assumes it’s been proven safe. But no amount of labeling or testing will make Kratom safe. The KCPA would lull consumers — especially young people — into thinking it’s okay to experiment with this drug. That false sense of security is lethal.
5. There Is No Safe Dose of Kratom
Mitragynine, the active alkaloid in Kratom, has been directly tied to fatal overdoses. People are dying with nothing but Kratom in their system. No other unregulated supplement causes deaths in this way. The KCPA ignores this critical fact.
The Bottom Line
The Kratom Consumer Protection Act is not about protection — it’s about preservation: preserving the sales, the profits, and the myth that Kratom is safe when it’s anything but. We do not need better labels. We do not need age restrictions. We need a full federal ban on K8tom to stop this crisis from growing.
As a parent who lost a child to this substance, I’m urging lawmakers and the public to reject the KCPA and join the growing movement to ban Kratom once and for all.
Lives are at stake.