The Rhode Island KCPA seeks to make kratom safe for the consumer and the emerging kratom market. This post is about recent updates in the RI state assembly surrounding the enactment of the KCPA.
The KCPA And Kratom Ban
Kratom is not legal in Rhode Island and has been banned since 2017. Two bills recently sent through the state general assembly, Senate bill SB2704, and House bill HR7231, were aimed at changing that.
Evidence shows that kratom products may be effective at providing several benefits. This legislation would enact the Rhode Island KCPA and give residents access to this ethnobotanical in their state.
Rhode Island House And Senate Pass KCPA
Due to support from the public and the work of lawmakers like House Representatives John Edwards, Brian Kennedy, and Joseph Solomon, and Senators Hanna M. Gallo, Sandra Cano, and V. Susan Sosnowski, each bill defining the Rhode Island KCPA passed on June 13, 2024.
The next step needed to turn these bills into law was to send them to the governor’s desk.
The Governor’s Desk
The bills sent to the governor’s desk, if signed, would make kratom legal in Rhode Island again.
There is little reason to continue a ban, and lifting it could improve the state of public health and the economy. Hopes were high, and the welfare of the consumer was on the line.
On the 26th of June, Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee vetoed the bills. Any hopes RI residents had to legally order kratom online or buy it in a store in the foreseeable future went up in smoke.
What’s Next in Rhode Island?
Changing the law can take time, especially when there are major powers that may have more of a say in our legislative process than most taxpayers would like. Pharmaceutical companies would not like to compete with kratom, for example.
The path to getting any product unbanned is often more difficult than banning it, and this attempt to undo the Rhode Island kratom ban had positive outcomes even if it failed. The attempt has brought the KCPA to the table and made more people aware of kratom, which will lead to more widespread knowledge of kratom and its possible benefits. This may make it easier for state lawmakers and the governor to approve a Rhode Island KCPA bill in the future.
Helping Out – What You Can Do
Just over the border of Rhode Island, it is legal to buy kratom. In Connecticut and Massachusetts, consumers can find kratom extracts for sale, powder, capsules, and more, and use kratom without being criminalized. If this seems unfair, you may be able to help.
Write letters to your elected federal representatives and urge them to pass the KCPA at the national level. If you live in Rhode Island, contact your local representatives, politely add your voice to the conversation, and urge reconsideration of the Rhode Island Kratom Consumer Protection Act.
If kratom is legal in your state and you have never tried it, exercise your freedom and order kratom capsules now, before your legislators take it away. Once you realize what this botanical can do, you’ll understand why taking access away from consumers would be the real crime.