Pleasanton, California — Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday pointed to California as the national front-runner in pulling potentially harmful kratom and 7-OH products from retail shelves, highlighting state figures that show 97.7 percent of alcohol-license retailers are now following the rules and more than 6,700 banned items have been taken off the market.
The action follows months in which California enforced its prohibition on products containing kratom and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) ahead of a July 1 federal step by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to temporarily place 7-OH under the Controlled Substances Act. State officials worked with shop owners across California to keep the substances away from consumers, particularly young people.
> "California was proud to work with businesses to get dangerous products off shelves and protect our communities," Newsom said, praising the federal government for following the state’s lead on what he described as a real public-health risk.
State alcohol regulators reported that after five months of focused enforcement, 97.7 percent of the locations they license are in compliance. Inspectors made 6,750 visits, found 155 violations, and removed 6,960 prohibited products.
> "After five months of targeted kratom and 7-OH enforcement efforts, nearly 98 percent of ABC-licensed locations are in compliance," said California Alcoholic Beverage Control Director Paul Tupy. "This is possible through the collaboration of our licensees, who are making sure these harmful products aren’t available on store shelves."
For residents of Pleasanton, an Alameda County city of about 72,000 in the Tri-Valley east of the San Francisco Bay, the crackdown means local retailers are now far less likely to carry the banned supplements.
