Iowa House Committee Votes 18-5 to Ban Both Natural and Synthetic Kratom Statewide

Why it matters

Iowa is advancing one of the broadest kratom bans in the country — covering both natural leaf and synthetic forms — making it a critical test case for how states navigate the growing pressure to regulate kratom as an opioid-like substance.

The big picture

Seven states have already banned kratom outright, but many states are debating a distinction between natural botanical kratom and synthetic 7-OH derivatives. Iowa's proposed legislation makes no such distinction, treating natural mitragynine and synthetic 7-OH the same. The state's medical examiner has linked 92 deaths to mitragynine as a contributing factor, and poison control center calls related to kratom have risen more than 120% in recent years.

Key findings

• Iowa's House Public Safety Committee passed a kratom ban 18-5; a parallel bill is eligible for debate in the Senate Judiciary Committee
• Iowa's state medical examiner has identified mitragynine as a contributing factor in 92 deaths
• Poison control calls related to kratom increased more than 120% over the past two years in Iowa
• The Iowa Department of Corrections reports kratom is being smuggled into state prisons, creating security and safety concerns
• Des Moines hospitals have reported newborns born in opioid withdrawal after mothers used kratom during pregnancy
• Industry groups supporting natural kratom oppose the bill and favor a regulatory approach similar to age restrictions on alcohol

What they say

"In Iowa, we've had 92 cases reported by our state medical examiner where mitragynine, that primary compound in the kratom plant, was a contributory factor in that death," said Susie Sher, head of the Iowa Office of Drug Control Policy.

Bottom line

Iowa is moving toward an outright ban on all kratom — natural and synthetic — backed by state data linking mitragynine to nearly 100 deaths and a 120% surge in poison control calls.