On March 27, 2023, Virginia became the ninth state in the United States to enact legislation on the sale of kratom, the Augusta Free Press reported.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed SB 1108, the Kratom Consumer Protection Act (KCPA), into law after it passed Virginia’s House and Senate.

Kratom primarily comes from the leaves of the Mitragyna speciosa tree in Indonesia, Thailand and other parts of Asia. It is usually consumed by boiling the leaves to make tea or grinding them into food. For centuries, Kratom has helped with pain management, energy, depression and anxiety. The KCPA regulates the manufacture and distribution of Kratom, ensures and enforces proper labeling and instills age limits on its use.

In the past few years, several states have passed legislation recognizing kratom benefits. As a result, various state legislatures are working to advance the KCPA, shifting the momentum on Capitol Hill for a federal Kratom Consumer Protection Act. Legislation on the federal level is expected to be filed in the coming months.

Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, South Carolina and Utah are among the eight states already legislating Kratom.

American Kratom Association

“The science doesn’t lie, and Virginia’s state leadership agrees,” said Mac Haddow, senior fellow for public policy at the American Kratom Association. “Passing of the KCPA in Virginia is representative of state lawmakers embracing science, public health and data. Their adoption of forward-thinking measures like the KCPA ensures Kratom consumers can access safe, registered and tested products.”