RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia is cracking down on kratom and a stronger chemical compound linked to it after Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed a new bill into law Tuesday.
The law bans 7-OH — also known as 7-hydroxymitragynine — in the commonwealth and requires kratom products to carry a warning label reading: "THIS MAY CAUSE DEPENDENCE AND OPIOID-LIKE WITHDRAWAL."
Kratom must also be sold behind the counter, and buyers must be 21 or older.
The new law is something Midlothian dad Dean Francis has been advocating for months.
His son Cameron found kratom online in college after seeing it marketed as a plant-based herbal supplement.
Cameron has since spent years trying to recover from addiction.
The Coleman Institute in Richmond said at the beginning of this year that 75% of their calls were related to kratom and 7-OH.
I caught up with Francis and the bill's sponsor right after Tuesday's signing. Francis said the law is a significant step, but more work remains.
"Delegate Cole has said many times this is just the beginning," Francis said. "So today was very, very exciting to know that these 70H standalone products will be gone, but the reality is kratom itself is converting in the body to 70H. So we're setting things up, we believe for next year to do more."
Delegate Cole said he is grateful Cameron had the courage to make his story public to help others.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
📲: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
