Nassau County Bans Kratom Sales in New Legislation

Nassau County legislators voted unanimously to ban the sale of kratom products, a decision that is drawing sharp reactions from residents who rely on the plant for pain management and wellness.

All 19 members of the County Legislature supported the measure, introduced by Deputy Minority Leader Arnold Drucker. The ban goes further than existing New York State law, which set a 21-year-old age minimum for kratom purchases. Nassau’s legislation covers both the natural whole-leaf form of the plant and 7-OH, a synthetic compound commonly sold at gas stations and smoke shops and frequently marketed as kratom.

Drucker cited federal health agency warnings in pushing for the ban. The FDA has repeatedly advised consumers against using kratom, pointing to risks including dependency, liver toxicity, seizures, and substance use disorder. “Kratom is marketed as safe and ‘natural,’ but federal health agencies have repeatedly warned otherwise,” Drucker said.

The FDA made its position clear again in December 2025, stating it does not recommend the plant or its derivatives for medical treatment or as dietary supplements, though it said it would review formal drug approval applications.

Not everyone is ready to accept that framing.

Lora Romney, president of the International Plant and Herbal Alliance, told legislators that whole-leaf kratom helps users manage mood, anxiety, and energy levels, and that banning it would leave people without a tool they depend on. “If natural plant kratom is taken away, it’s going to be devastating,” she said. “There are a lot of people like me and others out there who rely on this for their health and wellbeing. You are abandoning them.”

Romney drew a distinction between the natural plant and the synthetic 7-OH derivative. She argued that 7-OH should face regulation, but that bundling it with whole-leaf kratom misrepresents what users like her actually consume. She said widespread marketing of 7-OH products under the kratom label has clouded the public understanding of the natural plant.

Paal Eide, a retired FDNY firefighter with 20 years in Special Operations Command, offered a different but equally direct objection. Injuries from his career left him struggling with pain during workouts. He said kratom helped him stay active and maintain his fitness routine without turning to opioid medications.

“Every time I would go to the gym, it would hurt. But I didn’t want to stop exercising,” Eide said. He described the plant’s effects as dose-dependent, acting as a mood elevator at lower doses and an analgesic at higher doses. He has used it for roughly eight years.

Eide framed the ban as a civil liberties issue. “It’s an infringement on our civil liberties and bodily autonomy,” he said, adding that the leaf has been used for thousands of years and represents a far safer alternative to prescription opioids.

The debate over kratom reflects a broader tension that has played out in health policy for years. Advocates point to anecdotal evidence and traditional use, while federal agencies and many physicians point to documented risks and a lack of controlled clinical trials supporting safety or efficacy claims.

For Nassau County families, the practical effect of the ban is straightforward. Products currently sold at local gas stations, smoke shops, and herbal retailers will no longer be legally available for purchase. The county’s action puts it among a growing number of jurisdictions choosing to act ahead of federal regulation, rather than waiting for a national standard to emerge.

What this means for residents who have incorporated kratom into pain or wellness routines is less clear. Some may seek products in neighboring counties. Others may turn back toward the opioid-based medications that advocates like Eide say they were trying to avoid.

The county legislature’s unanimous vote signals little appetite for a middle-ground approach, at least for now. Whether the state follows Nassau’s lead with stricter regulations of its own is a question that will likely surface in Albany before the year is out.