By Angeles Ponpa
PEORIA HEIGHTS, Ill. (25 News) -Added to the list of communities banning the sale of kratom is the Village of Peoria Heights.
The village board voted unanimously last week to amend the code regarding cannabis and drug paraphernalia to prohibit the sale of kratom within municipal limits.
Kratom is a leafy plant native to Southeast Asia. The plants can be prepared and consumed as a tea, capsule, a tonic or pressed tablet. According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), kratom is not recommended for medical treatment, but it is often used to self-treat conditions such as pain, coughing, anxiety, depression and even opioid withdrawal.
Peoria Heights Mayor Matt Wigginton tells 25 News the concern over kratom and the move to ban it was raised when a local mother reached out to him about the problems kratom had caused her son and her family.
Wigginton acknowledged he was unfamiliar with the substance when the situation was brought to his attention, but Tazewell and Peoria County Health Department officials explained to him how the unregulated drug is marketed and sold in communities.
“I’ve had some people reach out to me, some other families here in the community, who thanked me so much for doing what we did and for the board acting in the way that they did, because they too had been touched by this unregulated drug and maybe didn’t know how to reach out and address what had happened to their families,” said Wigginton.
“The benefit is that we now are stepping up, among other Central Illinois communities to try to protect our citizens from this unregulated and dangerous drug,” he continued.
The ban went into effect immediately.
Smoke shops in Peoria Heights that sell kratom now have until the end of next week to get rid of the kratom products to comply with new town ordinances or face fines.
Cities with kratom bans are already in place include Bloomington, East Peoria, and Pekin.
The Heights’ mayor now wants to work with local lawmakers to extend the ban statewide.
“There are some bills that are going through Springfield right now in the state legislature- some that would prohibit the sale like we’ve done, but some would also allow the sale and also not have any consequences on the seller for any impact that it would have,” said Wigginton.
“I plan to work with our state legislators, those who represent us in Springfield, to try and ensure that not only our community in Peoria Heights, but every community in the Prairie State is able to protect the citizens like we did here in Peoria Heights,” he said.
HB4930, also known as the Protect Communities from Unregulated Substances Act, is sponsored by State Rep. Bill Hauter (R- Morton). It would prohibit dispensing, distributing, manufacturing, or selling kratom or tianeptine products for human use unless approved by the FDA.
The bill includes fines of $10,000 for each violation, and it would be enforced by the Illinois attorney general.
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