Hillsborough County targets potent kratom compounds after 34 deaths
New rules ban concentrated 7-OH products and require warning signs for all kratom sales while leaving traditional whole-leaf forms legal.
By Nadia Rahman ·
Hillsborough County commissioners voted unanimously on Tuesday to restrict potent kratom products, a move following an emotional public hearing where dozens of residents debated the substance's role in local deaths.
The new amendment to the Synthetic Drug Ordinance does not ban kratom entirely. Instead, it targets concentrated forms of 7-hydroxymitragynine, known as 7-OH, and specific derivatives like MGM-15 and MGM-16. County documents state that mitragynine intoxication contributed to 34 deaths in the county over the past two years, though the department noted the substance was not always the sole cause.
Karen Buckner spoke for the family of Frankie Ortiz, a 42-year-old father who died on June 30, less than a month after starting kratom use. “He thought that something that was sold openly in the smoke shops and marketed as something natural would be a safer choice,” Buckner said. Ortiz’s nine-year-old son found his father dead in the bed next to him.
Colt MacDonald shared his own experience of addiction and the loss of his twin brother, Cade, to acute mitragynine toxicity. MacDonald described becoming dependent on a “strawberry-flavored tea” sold at a café. “I didn't get here because of pain pills or terrible friends,” he told the board. “I got addicted because of a strawberry-flavored tea.” His mother, Dana MacDonald, urged commissioners to act, stating, “Cade's life mattered.”
Supporters of traditional kratom argued the county should preserve access to whole-leaf products, which remain exempt from the new restrictions. Kenneth Hoyumpa, representing a Tampa coffee house, urged commissioners to allow responsible access to pure leaf tea. Joseph Petrie, a mental health professional, described leaf kratom as “part of the solution, not part of the problem.”
Under the new rules, a product is considered chemically enhanced if laboratory analysis shows more than 1 milligram of 7-OH per gram in solid or powdered forms, or more than 1 milligram per milliliter in liquids. The ordinance also covers products that lack a ratio of at least 100 parts mitragynine to one part 7-OH by mass.
Businesses regulated as retail food establishments must now post a specific warning sign next to all kratom products, including legal whole-leaf varieties. The sign must state that sales to persons under 21 are prohibited and that use may cause serious adverse health effects. Code Enforcement can fine violators up to $500 for the first offense.
The amendment also clarifies criminal penalties for synthetic drug violations, allowing production, distribution, or sale of prohibited products to be prosecuted as misdemeanors. Commissioners directed the County Attorney's Office to begin working on these changes in June, consulting with the Sheriff's Office and State Attorney's Office before the final vote.
