Philadelphia City Council Committee Approves Kratom and Hemp Crackdown After 3-Hour Public Hearing

Why it matters

Philadelphia's committee approval sends two bills to the full City Council that would restrict kratom and hemp-derived products to FDA-approved, age-gated, licensed retailers — with penalties extending to landlords whose tenants violate the rules.

The big picture

Philadelphia is one of dozens of U.S. cities attempting to fill a regulatory vacuum left by federal inaction on kratom and 7-OH. The bills follow intense public debate over synthetic kratom products sold openly in vape shops and convenience stores, even as states like Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee move toward broader prohibitions. The committee vote marks a major legislative step in one of the country's largest cities.

Key findings

• Philadelphia City Council committee approved two bills targeting unregulated kratom and hemp-derived products after more than 3 hours of public testimony on May 21, 2026
• Bills require all kratom/hemp products to be FDA-approved, sold only to adults 21 or older, and limited to licensed retailers
• A second bill authorizes the city to penalize landlords who rent to smoke shops that do not comply with new licensing requirements
• Dr. Kevin Osterhoudt of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia testified in support, describing a child hospitalized on life support after unknowingly consuming high-potency cannabinoids from an unlabeled product
• Some advocates objected that the bills treat natural kratom leaf the same as synthetic 7-OH, arguing that kratom has helped people recover from opioid addiction

What they say

"When people buy these products, they have no way of knowing what's really in them, or if the dose is right or true, or if there are other harmful contaminants," said Dr. Kevin Osterhoudt, a toxicologist and emergency medicine physician at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Bottom line

Philadelphia City Council committee has approved bills that would effectively ban unregulated kratom and hemp-derived products citywide, with the full Council vote still to come.