Alabama Attorney General Issues Cease-and-Desist Order Against Kratom Retailers

Why it matters

Alabama's Attorney General has escalated enforcement against kratom retailers, issuing cease-and-desist orders and warning of asset seizure and felony prosecution. This signals aggressive state-level enforcement of the existing 2016 kratom ban.

The big picture

Kratom has been illegal in Alabama since 2016, but enforcement has been inconsistent. Rising public awareness of kratom's opioid-like effects, combined with national poison control data showing surging exposures, has prompted renewed enforcement actions. Products are marketed under misleading brand names like "Better Weather" and "Happy Hour," targeting unsuspecting consumers including children.

Key findings

• AG Steve Marshall issued cease-and-desist orders against retailers selling kratom products
• Targeted brands include "Boujee Bliss," "Better Weather," and "Happy Hour"
• Products contain mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine (kratom alkaloids)
• Deputy AG warning: Retailers must remove products immediately or face asset seizure and felony charges
• Kratom banned in Alabama since 2016; also illegal in 6 other states (Arkansas, Indiana, Connecticut, Louisiana, Vermont, Wisconsin)

What they say

Alabama AG Steve Marshall: "Alabama will not be a marketplace for dangerous, illegal substances regardless of what they are called or how they are packaged. These products prey on unsuspecting consumers, including children, who have no way of knowing what they are purchasing. We are putting every retailer on notice that they need to remove these products immediately."

Bottom line

**Alabama's Attorney General is enforcing the state's decade-old kratom ban through aggressive cease-and-desist orders, targeting retailers who market kratom under deceptive brand names to consumers unaware of the product's opioid-like effects.**