The Irvine City Council has given final approval to new regulations that ban synthetic kratom products and impose strict sales controls on natural versions of the plant across the city, as Voice of OC reported.
Under the newly finalized ordinance, retail businesses within city limits are entirely prohibited from selling or distributing synthetic kratom products. For natural kratom products, the city has established an age restriction that limits sales exclusively to individuals who are 21 years of age or older. Merchants selling natural kratom are now required to perform age verification for every transaction. Furthermore, the ordinance establishes a strict potency limit, banning any kratom product containing more than 2% of the compound 7-hydroxymitragynine, commonly known as 7-OH.
To enforce the new regulations, the council instituted severe penalties for non-compliance. Individuals who violate the rules face potential misdemeanor charges, fines up to $1,000, and up to six months in jail. Businesses caught violating the terms of the ordinance also risk the revocation of their commercial licenses.
Kratom originates from a Southeast Asian plant whose dried leaves are used for stimulant or sedative effects depending on the consumed quantity. In its natural form and at lower doses, users often consume the plant similarly to caffeine. However, when the minor natural component 7-OH is synthetically concentrated and amplified, the resulting substance produces opioid-like effects. While advocates maintain that the natural leaf serves as a helpful alternative to addictive prescription pain drugs, municipal governments have increasingly moved to regulate or eliminate concentrated forms.
Federal regulatory developments influenced the local action as well. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has been evaluating moving synthetic kratom to a Schedule I controlled substance classification.
The ordinance follows a multi-stage legislative process in Irvine. Councilmember Melinda Liu previously attempted to introduce a similar ban last year, though that initial effort failed to secure enough support from fellow council members. Liu brought the proposal back this fall, resulting in an initial 5-2 vote during the council's Oct. 13 meeting. Councilmembers Mike Carroll and James Mai cast the two opposing votes during that preliminary approval. Two weeks later, at the Oct. 27 meeting, the council gave its final approval in a unanimous vote.
During the Oct. 13 proceedings, Liu highlighted feedback from local residents, noting that the city had received numerous emails expressing gratitude for taking steps to regulate and ban synthetic kratom. She argued during the meeting that city officials should take proactive measures rather than waiting for an unfortunate event to occur before enacting safeguards.
During the same initial vote, Mai expressed skepticism regarding the necessity of a local ordinance. He pointed out that synthetic kratom was already positioned for federal Schedule I designation, making a municipal ban redundant. Mai questioned how many retail shops in Irvine actually carried the product, stating he doubted any local stores did. He observed that under the same logic, the city could pass redundant local ordinances banning substances like cocaine and fentanyl, urging the council to be more thoughtful about its legislative actions.
By enacting these rules, Irvine aligns itself with approximately a dozen other municipalities across Orange County that have implemented local restrictions or complete prohibitions on kratom and high-potency 7-OH products. Fountain Valley approved a ban on synthetic kratom earlier this year, joining early proposals considered in Dana Point and Garden Grove.
Other nearby cities have taken varying regulatory approaches. Municipalities such as Los Alamitos, Anaheim, Buena Park, Huntington Beach, and Laguna Niguel have enacted rules restricting kratom sales when concentrations exceed the 2% 7-OH threshold. Meanwhile, neighboring cities including Newport Beach, Tustin, Stanton, and Dana Point have passed total prohibitions banning the sale and distribution of all kratom products within their borders.
