Kratom benefits, dangers weighed as Nevada lawmakers consider how to regulate
AS VEGAS (KLAS) — For Peter Guidry, a disabled Air Force veteran, kratom is freedom from pain and the awful side effects of narcotics prescribed by the Veterans Administration.
His voice was among many represented in the debate over kratom during testimony on Assembly Bill 322 (AB322), an effort to properly regulate the herbal opioid-like drug. The bill is not about banning kratom, but would require the products to be registered in Nevada before they can be sold. Labeling requirements and a prohibition against sales to minors are also included.
And regulations are badly needed, according to Mac Haddow of the American Kratom Association. “Leaving it unregulated is the Wild West, and that’s where the bad actors come in and actually are able to adulterate products because kratom doesn’t give you a natural euphoric high.”
