Kratom and hemp-derived “intoxicating substances” will be banned in Philadelphia under a law that goes into effect Thursday, Nov. 12.
Kratom comes from a tree in Southwest Asia, though, in the United States, most products bearing the name are synthetic variants that concentrate a psychoactive chemical compound known as 7-OH.
Depending on its composition and strength, kratom can act as a mild stimulant or mimic the effects of an opioid, according the city’s Department of Public Health. The substance’s legal status has been murky for years.
“We don’t know what’s inside of these products,” City Council Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson told Metro. "We don’t understand exactly what they’re made of. We don’t understand their effects and impacts, particularly on our young people, because a lot of these products have been marketed directly to young people. They look like candy or candy bars.”
Gilmore Richardson authored the law, which was signed by Mayor Cherelle Parker in September. It prohibits the sale of any kratom or hemp products that have not received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
No version of kratom currently meets that threshold, and CBD Kratom, which operates several stores in Philadelphia, posted on its website that “no practical FDA approval pathway currently exists” for natural-leaf kratom.
Businesses that violate the ban could face fines of up to $2,000 a day, Gilmore Richardson said. She encouraged residents to report offenders to 311, starting on Thursday.
The Parker administration did not respond to a request for comment Thursday on how the law will be enforced. Gilmore Richardson said the health department will be tasked with ensuring shops abide by the prohibition.
If kratom or hemp products are eventually approved at the federal level, the bill creates a framework for sellers to obtain an “intoxicating substance retailer permit.” Customers would have to be over the age of 21, and the location of such businesses would be limited, according to the text of the legislation.
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives last month passed a bill that would ban synthetic kratom and regulate the natural-leaf version. The proposal’s sponsor, citing health officials, reported 33 overdoses have involved kratom since the start of 2025 in the commonwealth.
Gilmore Richardson has advanced a bevy of regulations aimed at nuisance businesses in recent legislative sessions. These establishments often file paperwork with City Hall posing as grocery or convenience stores, when, in reality, they almost exclusively sell legally questionable substances and drug paraphernalia, she said.
In October, Gilmore Richardson introduced zoning legislation that would place more stringent limits on smoke shops. That bill is still pending in committee.
MORE: City Council presses officials over property tax assessments
