UPDATE: An hour after this posting, the AKA sent out an email stating “the Board decided to defer any action until additional information is obtained on a number of key questions on the science relating to safety and addiction potential of the kratom plant versus adulterated kratom products”. Great news! “The next discussion on kratom is scheduled to take place in the March 2019 Board of Pharmacy meeting. “
Statement from the American Kratom Association on today’s Ohio Board of Pharmacy Vote on whether to classify kratom as a Schedule I drug in the state, banning it:
OHIO RESIDENTS: URGENT HELP NEEDED
We were notified earlier that the Ohio Board of Pharmacy will be voting tomorrow (Tuesday) morning on whether or not to ban kratom, making it illegal in the state of Ohio.
We have a short window to make our final push.
Please take a minute and call the Ohio Board of Pharmacy and ask them to keep kratom legal and listen to the findings of scientists who have concluded kratom is safe to consume.
You can contact the Board of Pharmacy at (614) 466-4143 or email them at [email protected].
PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL WHEN CALLING.
Make no mistake, what happens in Ohio will reverberate across the country.
Thank you for your support and willingness to help in the fight to protect kratom.
If the Ohio BOP votes yes on the Schedule 1 classification, kratom will not be banned immediately.
The recommendation will be sent to the Office of Lieutenant Governor, where it will be subject to the Common Sense Initiative:
Under the CSI, state agencies, including the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy, are required to draft rules in collaboration with stakeholders, assess and justify an adverse impact on the business community (as defined by SB 2 of the 129th General Assembly), and provide an opportunity for the affected public to provide input on the rules.
After going through the CSI process, the recommendation will then go to the Joint Committee on Agency Rule review:
The State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy files a rule proposal with the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) to begin the legislature’s rule-review process. The process requires the Board to conduct a public hearing 31 to 40 days after the original file date. Generally, 41 to 65 days after the original file date, JCARR schedules the Board to appear before a meeting concerning the rule proposal.
The bottom line is, if the Ohio Board of Pharmacy votes to recommend a ban on kratom today, it will be at least 2 months, with plenty of review, comment periods, and a hearing before they can stop people from buying and selling kratom.