Minnesota kratom bill draws push for full ban

A bipartisan bill at the Minnesota Legislature would, for the first time, put statewide restrictions on kratom and related 7‑OH products by banning sales and possession for anyone under 21 and making it a misdemeanor to sell to under‑21 buyers, with an effective date of Aug. 1 if it passes. The push comes after the August 2024 overdose death of 42‑year‑old Burnsville resident Emily Beier, whose sister Ann Marie of Circle Pines found empty kratom bottles next to her body; an autopsy listed kratom as the cause of death. Beier is publicly backing tighter rules but says the bill doesn’t go far enough and is calling for a full statewide ban on what she describes as a highly addictive, gas‑station‑sold drug that ensnared her "smart and educated" sister. Hazelden Betty Ford’s chief medical officer, Dr. Alta Deroo, is also urging lawmakers to outlaw kratom altogether, arguing that in its current, unregulated form it has no legitimate medical use and that consumers have no idea what is actually in the products they’re buying. Kratom remains legal in Minnesota even as six states, including neighboring Wisconsin, have already banned it, and the FDA continues to warn against its use, setting up a coming fight at the Capitol over whether age limits are enough or whether Minnesota follows its neighbors into an outright prohibition that would hit Twin Cities retailers and users directly.