CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — On Tuesday, the Castle Rock Town Council voted to approve an ordinance banning the sale of kratom in the town by a vote of 6-1.
The ban will officially go into effect in November, but reaction is still pouring in from both sides of the issue.
Supporters of the ordinance like resident Dana Bonham argue a ban makes it clear what is and is not allowed.
"A teenager at a checkout counter isn't reading lab reports, and neither are most parents," Bonham said during Tuesday's meeting. "A clear line protects our kids better than a blurry one."
Castle Rock Council Member Max Brooks also supports the ordinance. Talking with Denver7's Douglas County reporter Tyler Melito on Sunday, Brooks shared how the ordinance came to be.
"This originated from constituents, this originated from moms, dads in Castle Rock that were worried about what their what their kids were able to access," Brooks explained. "There were some pretty sad stories of residents right here in Castle Rock of kids that had fallen ill from using kratom."
Brooks adding how there are some stores in Castle Rock that used to sell kratom and have taken the product off their shelves.
"One vendor here in Castle Rock went so far as to call it gas station heroin," Brooks said.
Castle Rock passed an ordinance banning the sale of kratom to minors in 2019. Brooks saying at the time, they probably could have done a full ban, but synthetic forms of kratom have become more prevalent in recent years.
"We're making decisions based on the evolution of this product right now, and doing so to ensure that we're keeping our our citizens safe," Brooks said. "If you're putting natural kratom in tea, that's not where these bad actors are making their money. So this has again, it's been an evolution of a very dangerous product."
The ordinance passed on first reading back in mid-September. In the time between the ordinance passed on first and second reading, two Ole Miss students, including Aidan Hamilton of Englewood, died.
In toxicology reports revealed in court filings against the father and son charged in the deaths of Hamitlon and Robert Strang, both boys were found to have the same three substances in their systems, all of which are found in Smax-Mango Breeze pills.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, these pills do not contain standard, raw kratom, rather are laced with dangerously high concentrations of isolated kratom, something opponents of the ordinance say is very different than what some people use regarding kratom.
"Kratom is not a drug. Kratom is not an opiate. Kratom is not a synthetic substance," someone said during Tuesday's meeting. "Naturally occurring kratom is a safe herbal supplement."
Council Member Kevin Bracken was the lone no vote on the ordinance, saying how Castle Rock has allowed the sale of kratom for several years.
"We have allowed kratom sales within the town of Castle Rock for all these years and now we have businesses that are selling kratom, and I'm supportive of the the natural leaf, not the synthetic," Bracken said Tuesday. "I just don't feel it's right to change the deal on the business owners."
In emails for public comment, local businesses expressed their opposition to the ban. One of those emails came from Alaina Newhouse, whose family owns Goodfellas Smoke Shop in Castle Rock.
Newhouse shared how kratom is not only a large part of their inventory, but also she has seen the positive benefits it has had on customers, writing in part:
"Hundreds of people in our community use kratom to treat pain, to quit drinking alcohol, wean off prescription medication, and to improve their overall quality of life. Banning kratom in Castle Rock will have dangerous consequences, forcing people in our community to outsource ways to handle their pain."
Brooks recognizes the effect a ban on kratom will have on both businesses and the people who use it. He noted that the ban only applies to the sale of kratom, not the possession and use of the substance.
"I understand the impact that it could have to businesses but at the same time, I understand that there has been a massive shift in how this product is being synthesized and a massive shift in how this product is being marketed and sold and the danger that it presents to people that just don't know that," Brooks said.
