Pope Urges Mississippi Acts Against Kratom
Narcotics bureau director urges ban on all kratom products
The head of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics told state lawmakers the agency wants kratom banned and scheduled as a controlled substance.
Col. Philip Pope, director of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, addressed the House Drug Policy Committee on Nov. 4. "We should ban it. We should schedule it... all products," Pope told the committee, in response to a follow-up question from the chair. Pope said the bureau currently must purchase kratom products from retail shelves and send them to the state crime lab to determine their contents before any enforcement action can be taken against sellers.
Pope's appearance came as the committee weighs how to regulate kratom, a botanical product sold legally at convenience stores and other retailers across Mississippi.
The narcotics chief's call for an outright ban signals that new legislation on kratom could be coming before lawmakers. His comments also illustrate how an under-regulated market is consuming agency resources, with officers forced to test products already on shelves simply to determine what they contain before acting. Whether the Legislature adopts Pope's recommendation would represent a significant new restriction on commerce in the state, affecting retailers who currently sell kratom products openly.