Letters to the Editor: Kratom and 7-OH products need safe regulation, not prohibition
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- L.A. County has cracked down on kratom and 7-OH sales, but regulation offers a better path than outright prohibition.
- States such as Rhode Island use dosage limits, labeling standards, testing and age restrictions to address safety concerns responsibly.
- Most L.A. County overdoses involved multiple substances, suggesting the need for transparent markets and clear consumer rules rather than bans.
To the editor: What consumers should know primarily about L.A.’s crackdown on 7-OH and kratom products is that there is a better path than prohibition (“L.A. County stores must immediately stop selling kratom and 7-OH, health department warns,” Nov. 7).
States such as Rhode Island have implemented regulatory structures for 7-OH requiring dosage standards, accurate labeling, testing and age restrictions. Although the current dosage limits are severely restricted, it shows that smart regulation to avoid overcriminalizing millions of users of 7-OH and kratom products is possible, if not necessary.
L.A. County’s reported overdoses on these products are troubling, but even more so when we consider that every unfortunate case examined by the Los Angeles Times revealed cocktails of other substances, both legal and illegal, in the toxicology screens.
What this proves is that we need clear rules, safe regulations and a transparent market so consumers know what they’re getting.
Yael Ossowski, Washington, D.C.
This writer is deputy director of consumer advocacy group Consumer Choice Center.
