The city council’s Finance, Governance and Public Safety Committee heard from dozens of residents Tuesday about a possible ban on the sale of synthetic drugs in Kansas City, Missouri. Most of the meeting was spent hearing public comments. Some who spoke up said substances like kratom and 7-OH saved their lives and got them off opioids. Many others said these drugs are dangerous and readily available citywide. The ordinance aims to put public safety first, keeping drugs like kratom, 7-OH, nitrous oxide and nitrate poppers out of the hands of people under the age of 21 and removed from businesses like gas stations. The ordinance would ban certain products and put new restrictions on others. If passed, violations of the ordinance could carry a $1,000 fine and possible jail time. Those who support the ban say these drugs are essentially chemistry experiments. “We’ve created a legal-ish marketplace where powerful psychoactive substances are sold in everyday retail settings,” one supporter of the ban said at the meeting. On the other side, many argued that 7-OH or kratom were the only solutions for their chronic pain.“Kratom enables me to hold down a job and that is a Godsend,” said Nancy Eve Wolf, who opposes the ban. “After using kratom for years, I can personally say that it’s safe. I’ve never had any negative effects from it and I’ve never felt cravings for it.” Mayor Quinton Lucas introduced the ordinance in December 2025. The committee approved a revised version that would set strict concentration limits on 7-OH in natural kratom products and would ban the sale of synthetic 7-OH. “Unregulated gas station drugs are substances that are sold with virtually no oversight or accountability,” Lucas said in a news release. “The products are marketed as legal alternatives but are often just as dangerous as controlled substances and have no place on our shelves when they contribute to addiction, overdoses, and neighborhood instability, particularly impacting our children. The ordinance represents a science-based, community-informed approach to protecting public health while ensuring our neighborhoods remain safeThe full city council will take up the issue at its meeting Thursday, Feb. 12. Lucas said if the ordinance is approved, business owners would be expected to comply within 60 days of the ordinance taking effect.
The city council’s Finance, Governance and Public Safety Committee heard from dozens of residents Tuesday about a possible ban on the sale of synthetic drugs in Kansas City, Missouri.
Most of the meeting was spent hearing public comments. Some who spoke up said substances like kratom and 7-OH saved their lives and got them off opioids. Many others said these drugs are dangerous and readily available citywide.
The ordinance aims to put public safety first, keeping drugs like kratom, 7-OH, nitrous oxide and nitrate poppers out of the hands of people under the age of 21 and removed from businesses like gas stations. The ordinance would ban certain products and put new restrictions on others.
If passed, violations of the ordinance could carry a $1,000 fine and possible jail time.
Those who support the ban say these drugs are essentially chemistry experiments.
“We’ve created a legal-ish marketplace where powerful psychoactive substances are sold in everyday retail settings,” one supporter of the ban said at the meeting.
On the other side, many argued that 7-OH or kratom were the only solutions for their chronic pain.
“Kratom enables me to hold down a job and that is a Godsend,” said Nancy Eve Wolf, who opposes the ban. “After using kratom for years, I can personally say that it’s safe. I’ve never had any negative effects from it and I’ve never felt cravings for it.”
Mayor Quinton Lucas introduced the ordinance in December 2025. The committee approved a revised version that would set strict concentration limits on 7-OH in natural kratom products and would ban the sale of synthetic 7-OH.
“Unregulated gas station drugs are substances that are sold with virtually no oversight or accountability,” Lucas said in a news release. “The products are marketed as legal alternatives but are often just as dangerous as controlled substances and have no place on our shelves when they contribute to addiction, overdoses, and neighborhood instability, particularly impacting our children. The ordinance represents a science-based, community-informed approach to protecting public health while ensuring our neighborhoods remain safe
The full city council will take up the issue at its meeting Thursday, Feb. 12. Lucas said if the ordinance is approved, business owners would be expected to comply within 60 days of the ordinance taking effect.