Point Pleasant Beach Looks To Ban 'Kratom'

POINT PLEASANT BEACH – The Point Pleasant Beach Council is looking to ban a substance that it says is a potential threat to public health and has the potential for abuse.

The council says it is looking to prohibit the sale of kratom, which is used as a recreational drug and as medicine.

The council plans to introduce the ordinance at its Tuesday meeting and then vote to approve on Oct. 1.

The ordiance comes just as police have been cracking on the sale of vaping products at a smoke shop in Point Pleasant Beach, police said. This was the second time in a matter of months that the store was allegedly caught. Read more: Point Pleasant Beach Smoke Shop Sold To Underaged Users: Police

Kratom is banned by some states in the U.S. because of safety concerns, according to WebMD. People use kratom for withdrawal from heroin, morphine and other opioid drugs, as well as cough, depression, anxiety and many other conditions.

Kratom use has been linked to serious side effects including hallucinations, seizures, liver damage, withdrawal and death, according to WebMD.

Assemblyman Ronald Dancer also has proposed legislation, A2865, that would criminalize the manufacture, possession and sale of products containing kratom. Kratom is marketed for its psychoactive and opioid-like analgesic effects, the council says.

"The mayor and council are concerned by the health problems posed by the use of kratom, the potential for abuse of kratom, the use of kratom by minors, and the potential severity of classification of kratom by the DEA," the council says.