Our most consequential responsibility as public servants, parents and community leaders is to confront emerging threats to our children’s health and wellness. Frighteningly, many of these can be found within arm’s length at our local convenience stores, and there’s a new one on the shelf.
We are all aware of the ever-present threats of alcohol, tobacco and nicotine products and the risks of lifelong addiction, cancers and terminal illnesses their use can cause. More recently, we witnessed the frightening rise of dangerous fruit- and candy-flavored vaping products that get our kids hooked on nicotine and can cause irreversible health problems like “popcorn lung.” Thankfully, our efforts to stem that tide have made slow but steady progress.
Now we are confronted by the threat of a new and alarming substance — an emerging stimulant known as kratom — and it is incumbent on all of us to act swiftly to protect our communities.
A constituent recently contacted my office and asked to meet with me to discuss how Nassau County could address the dangers of this drug, which their son, and many others, had gotten hooked on. It had caused devastating damage, and I knew action was necessary.
It’s easy to see how people can be enticed by kratom. It is often falsely marketed as a natural, plant-based energy booster, mood lifter, pain reliever and opioid withdrawal remedy. But, as they say, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Experts at the Mayo Clinic warn that kratom has not been proven safe or to have any medical efficacy. The Food and Drug Administration similarly cautions against its use, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has labeled it a drug of concern, with side effects including confusion, delusions, tremors, psychosis, depression toxicity, liver damage and addiction. Because it is unregulated and its labeling is inconsistent, its users have little idea how much they’ve actually taken until it’s too late.
During a five-year span, poison-control centers across America received more than 3,400 reports of kratom-related incidents, and some cases ended in patients’ deaths. My constituent told me that when their son finally embarked on a path to recovery, the withdrawal symptoms he experienced were similar to, if not worse than, someone going through heroin withdrawal.
Based on these disturbing facts, I filed legislation on Feb. 6 that would ban the sale and distribution of kratom products in Nassau County. Those found in violation would be charged with a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and up to a year in jail for each offense.
Suffolk County has already banned kratom, and New York state restricts its sale to people over age 21. Passing my legislation would bring us in line with our neighbors in Suffolk and hopefully serve as a catalyst for a statewide ban. The fact that the Republican majority has followed my lead and filed similar legislation gives me hope that this common-sense approach to protecting public health is on the fast track to approval.
Throughout my decade as a legislator, I have remained laser-focused on preserving the wellness of our communities and protecting our young people from dangerous, misleading products that can ruin their health. In 2019 I proudly introduced and passed a ban on the sale of most flavored vaping products in Nassau — products that we have proven vape companies market directly to unsuspecting youths. The ban was later adopted statewide. The proposal built on my previous bill to restrict the advertising of age-restricted items such as cigarettes, tobacco and vaping products within 1,000 feet of establishments frequented by young people.
Before taking steps to regulate vaping, I focused intently on finishing the work that the late Legislator Judy Jacobs began to ban the sale of tobacco and cigarettes to anyone under age 21 — a goal that we achieved in 2018.
All of these proposals were ultimately enacted with bipartisan, unanimous support. As our focus now turns to kratom and addressing the devastation it has already caused for far too many families, I implore my colleagues to once again set aside our partisan labels. Banning kratom will protect our children and our communities from irreversible harm. Let’s work together and get it done.
Arnold W. Drucker represents Nassau County’s 16th Legislative District and is the Legislature’s deputy minority leader.
