Outlook
Proposed Kratom Ban
From Drea Powers
Date Tue 6/9/2026 8:42 PM
To Downey City Clerk - Public Comment
Greetings,
My name is Drea Powers and I urge you to please regulate natural (plain leaf) kratom. I feel the focus ought to be on banning dangerous concentrated and semisynthetic derivatives such as 7-OH products. Such products are often called "kratom" but are not at all similar to natural kratom leaf.
It is important to distinguish traditional plain leaf kratom from highly concentrated 7-OH products.
Plain leaf kratom is a minimally processed botanical product derived directly from the Mitragyna speciosa plant. In contrast, many commercial 7-OH products are chemically manipulated or semisynthetic concentrates created through laboratory processing. These products differ significantly in potency, pharmacological effects, and potential safety concerns.
Many of the growing public concerns and adverse incidents nationwide are increasingly associated with these concentrated 7-OH products rather than traditional kratom leaf itself. There is confusion as 7-OH and natural kratom are assumed to be similar- they are not. Additionally, 7-OH is incorrectly called kratom.
Research from institutions such as Johns Hopkins University and the University of Florida suggests that kratom's alkaloids act differently from traditional opioids and provide pain relief with a lower risk of respiratory depression. Other published studies have also found relatively low abuse potential compared to many other substances. Reports involving kratom-related deaths frequently involve multiple substances, 7-OH, or contaminated products rather than plain leaf kratom alone.
Prohibition of natural kratom leaf would likely expand the black market and create greater public health risks, while turning responsible consumers like myself into criminals for using a natural botanical product.
I'd like to share my personal experience with natural kratom leaf. I have used kratom responsibly for over a decade. It has been life -changing for me and helps me manage Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, Complex PTSD, Major Depression, and Panic Disorder. Kratom provides relief from chronic pain and improves my quality of life while allowing me to avoid many of the harsh side effects and dependency risks I experienced with prescription medications.
I first learned about kratom from my brother after it helped him stop using heroin. It helped my brother and sister reach and maintain sobriety after they survived fentanyl poisonings in 2016.
Addiction runs deeply in my family, and kratom helped prevent me from following that same path.
For millions of consumers and myself, kratom has meant stability, pain relief, sobriety and a better quality of life. That is why I believe regulation of natural kratom leaf, not prohibition, is the responsible path forward. Please listen to both the science and the lived experiences of responsible consumers.
I know this is a lengthy email; I wanted to explain the difference between natural kratom and semisynthetic/synthetic substances that are posing as kratom.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Drea Powers