Kansas Bans Kratom Statewide, Effective July 1, After Second Bill Adds Mitragynine
Photo: Warren LeMay / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Kansas has banned kratom statewide, with both of the plant's active alkaloids scheduled as Schedule I controlled substances effective July 1, 2026. The ban took two bills to complete: House Bill 2365 scheduled 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), and Senate Bill 430 added mitragynine after the compound was inadvertently left out of the first measure.
Governor Laura Kelly signed House Bill 2365 on April 10, 2026, amending the Kansas Uniform Controlled Substances Act to add 7-OH to Schedule I. The bill passed the House 76-49 and the Senate 34-5. Schedule I designates substances with a high potential for abuse and no currently accepted medical use.
The signed bill carried an omission. Mitragynine, the primary alkaloid in natural kratom leaf, was inadvertently excluded from the enrolled version of HB 2365. Lawmakers used Senate Bill 430, a reconciliation measure, to add mitragynine to the same Schedule I list. SB 430 passed the House 78-44 on April 10, was presented to the Governor on April 17, and was approved on April 27.
Kelly cited federal uncertainty in her signing statement, noting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is still evaluating whether kratom is a safe and effective treatment for certain medical conditions. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment warned in September 2025 that 7-OH products can be extremely harmful.
The scheduling reaches both compounds that define kratom products, covering natural leaf powders and capsules as well as concentrated 7-OH extracts, shots, tablets, and gummies sold in gas stations, convenience stores, and retail shops. From July 1, 2026, possession, sale, and distribution of these products is prohibited in Kansas under the same classification as heroin and LSD, and existing inventory becomes contraband on that date. The law shares its July 1 effective date with Tennessee's statewide kratom ban.