Republican Sen. Joe Gruters is pushing to significantly tighten Florida’s regulations on kratom products with a new bill that would impose new testing, labeling and manufacturing requirements and restrict where and how it can be sold.
The proposal comes as kratom is drawing increased scrutiny from policymakers. Attorney General James Uthmeier issued an emergency rule in August banning a concentrated kratom derivative known as 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH. Sen. Clay Yarborough of Jacksonville and Rep. Doug Bankson of Apopka, both Republicans, also filed legislation (SB 432, HB 309) in November to identify 7-OH as a schedule 1 drug.
With his bill (SB 994), Gruters aims to update the Florida Kratom Consumer Protection Act to require kratom products to be manufactured by permitted processors, registered with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and accompanied by a certificate of analysis from an accredited independent laboratory.
Processors would also be required to carry at least $3 million in product liability insurance and register with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The bill would require that establishments that sell kratom restrict entry to customers 21 and older and require age verification. It would also prohibit kratom packaging that is attractive to children and bans the mixing of kratom with alcohol, caffeine, cannabinoids, nicotine or other psychoactive substances.
Approval would also establish detailed labeling requirements, including dosage limits, alkaloid content disclosures, health warnings and expiration dates. Products found out of compliance could be subject to immediate stop-sale orders, and violations could carry misdemeanor penalties.
The bill would also appropriate $1.92 million in recurring funds and $1.79 million in nonrecurring funds to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for 24 new positions and the purpose of implementing the act.
If approved, the measure would take effect Oct. 1.
