LITTLE ROCK, Ark.—A bipartisan effort is underway in Arkansas to legalize and regulate kratom, a plant-based substance often used for pain relief and as an alternative to opioids. If successful, the bill could overturn a decade-long ban on the substance and introduce safeguards for consumers.
Senate Bill 534, co-sponsored by Democratic State Senator Greg Leding and Republican Representative Jon Eubanks, was introduced on March 20, 2025. The bill aims to remove kratom’s key compounds, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, from the state’s list of controlled substances. It also proposes implementing a Kratom Consumer Protection Act (KCPA) to regulate its sale and ensure product safety.
For advocates, the legislation represents a significant step toward justice and reform. Among them is Julian Price, whose father, Marshall Price, became a symbol of the state’s strict drug laws. Marshall Price, a man recovering from opioid addiction with the help of kratom, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being caught with 200 grams of plain-leaf kratom—an amount many consumers might store for personal use. He was killed in an Arkansas jail while serving his sentence.
“Kratom was an excellent harm reduction tool for my dad and gave him freedom from his terrible opioid use disorder,” Julian Price said in a statement addressed to Senator Leding. “Tragically, he died while incarcerated for possessing the very thing that helped him.”
Arkansas classified kratom and its active compounds as Schedule I substances in 2015, grouping them with opium derivatives such as heroin and morphine. These compounds were designated as highly addictive with no accepted medical use, despite kratom’s botanical origins and lack of direct links to the opium poppy. The Fourth Judicial Drug Task Force subsequently targeted businesses that continued selling kratom, citing health risks and federal advisories from the Food and Drug Administration.
Under current Arkansas law, possession of 200 grams or more of a Schedule I drug triggers an automatic drug trafficking charge, regardless of intent to distribute. Critics note that such quantities are not unusual among consumers, likening kratom storage to purchasing coffee in bulk due to its long shelf life.
Marshall Price’s case, highlighted in a December 2023 Newsweek exposé, drew attention to what the publication called Arkansas’s “punishing” justice system. The article chronicled systemic issues plaguing the state’s rural judicial system, including heavy-handed prosecution of minor offenses, prolonged pretrial detention, and overcrowded jails with inadequate healthcare access. These problems, advocates say, reflect broader challenges across the American South, where tough-on-crime policies disproportionately impact vulnerable populations.
If passed, the proposed legislation would mark a shift in how Arkansas approaches kratom and drug policy more broadly. Supporters of the bill point to its potential to address concerns about public safety and consumer protection without criminalizing personal use. Opponents, however, may argue that loosening restrictions risks undermining public health efforts to curb substance misuse.
For now, the debate continues as Arkansas lawmakers consider the implications of reversing a controversial ban and embracing regulation over prohibition.