THE NEWPORT BEACH CITY COUNCIL BANS THE SALE AND DISTRIBUTION OF KRATOM BASED ON OUTDATED 2016 FDA CLAIMS AND INACCURATE DATA
Council Members made no comments and asked no questions of national experts who presented to the Council on the misinformation driving the ban.
CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH, CA, March 14, 2024 — The Newport Beach California City Council sat silently Tuesday night as compelling scientific evidence was presented from a group of experts including former White House Drug Czar, James Carroll; former U.S. Congressman Matt Salmon who led congressional opposition to the FDA’s 2016 attempt to federally ban kratom; and Mac Haddow, Senior Fellow on Public Policy for the American Kratom Association (AKA). All presented on the gaps in science and facts contained in the Newport City Council Staff Report on the ban and were available to answer questions from the council, but none were asked.
“What was most astounding was the collective silence of the entire City Council who offered no rationale for the ban and did not ask a single question on the evidence that showed how the FDA itself has dramatically changed its position on the alleged dangers of kratom,” commented Mac Haddow. “Public policy deserves robust, open, and transparent debate – but despite the strong testimony of every witness – and no witness supporting the ban– the City Council approved the ban on a vote of 6-1, with no discussion and no questions” Haddow added.
This public testimony highlighted the FDA’s own refusal to testify under oath on kratom’s danger at a scheduled hearing in a San Diego Federal Courtroom on February 8, 2024, where the FDA stated it had “not yet made a determination regarding whether kratom is dangerous.” Additionally, the presentations pointed out the FDA has recently completed a dose finding study on the safety of kratom where an FDA scientist reported that “kratom appears to be well tolerated at all dose levels.” (Presented by FDA at scientific conference, February 2024)
In addition to the in-person testimony, former Orange County Judge James P. Gray, and U.S. Congressman Jack Bergman (R-MI) both submitted letters opposing the ban on kratom in Newport Beach. The AKA encourages every citizen to protest this unfair ordinance by emailing the Council at citycouncil@newportbeachca.gov.
