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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 6539
January Session, 2021
AN ACT CONCERNING A STUDY OF THE USE OF KRATOM IN
CONNECTICUT.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (Effective from passage) (a) As used in this section, "kratom" 1
means the leaves of the tree species mitragyna speciosa in any form that 2
may be inhaled, ingested or injected into the human body. 3
(b) The Department of Public Health, in collaboration with the 4
Department of Consumer Protection, the Department of Mental Health 5
and Addiction Services and the Division of Criminal Justice, shall 6
conduct a study of the use of kratom in this state. Such study shall 7
include, but need not be limited to, (1) an estimation of (A) the total use 8
of kratom across the population, (B) the number of persons under the 9
age of twenty-one who are using or have used kratom, and (C) the rate 10
of addiction to or dependency on kratom by persons who use kratom; 11
(2) a description of the method of consumption or use of kratom, 12
including the various ways in which kratom is being inhaled, ingested 13
or injected, the form of such kratom when being consumed or used, and 14
a breakdown by percentage of such consumption or use; (3) an 15
examination and description of any bona fide medicinal or palliative 16
uses for kratom; and (4) the feasibility and estimated efficacy of a 17
prohibition on (A) the sale or possession of kratom on all persons, (B) 18 Substitute Bill No. 6539
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the sale of kratom to persons under the age of twenty-one, and (C) the 19
possession of kratom by persons under the age of twenty-one. 20
(c) Not later than December 1, 2021, the Commissioner of Public 21
Health shall submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the 22
Division of Criminal Justice, the Office of the Chief Public Defender and 23
the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having 24
cognizance of matters relating to public health and the judiciary, in 25
accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. 26
Sec. 2. (Effective from passage) Not later than February 1, 2022, the 27
Division of Criminal Justice, in collaboration with the Office of the Chief 28
Public Defender, shall submit recommendations concerning revisions to 29
the general statutes relating to the civil and criminal penalties for the 30
sale of kratom to persons under the age of twenty-one or the possession 31
of kratom by persons under the age of twenty-one that would serve as 32
a deterrent to such sale and possession of kratom, to the joint standing 33
committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 34
relating to public health and the judiciary, in accordance with the 35
provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. As used in this 36
section, "kratom" has the same meaning as provided in section 1 of this 37
act.38
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage New section
Sec. 2 from passage New section
JUD Joint Favorable Subst.