{"id":3193,"date":"2026-08-08T17:33:40","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T17:33:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.botanicalae.org\/?page_id=3193"},"modified":"2026-08-08T17:50:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T17:50:25","slug":"north-dakota","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.botanicalae.org\/?page_id=3193","title":{"rendered":"North Dakota"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Monday, August 3, 2026 Governor Kelly Armstrong declared a public Health Emergency banning ALL kratom products.  He has called for a special session of the legislature for September 2nd to solidify complete prohibition. This executive order took effect Wednesday, August 5th, lasting for 30 days. It bans the manufacture, delivery, distribution, sale, purchase, possession, and use of all kratom products statewide. Violators face up to $1000 fine per charge. The ND Board of Pharmacy simultaneously placed 7-OH on the state Schedule I controlled substances list for 180 days. This action means many people across the state woke up as felons because these actions were taken so quickly and with little advance notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Please take this time between now and Sept 2nd to educate your elected officials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To advocate against the proposed statutory kratom ban ahead of North Dakota&#8217;s September 2 legislative special session, key efforts should focus on educating lawmakers, organizing public feedback, and presenting regulated alternatives like the Kratom Consumer Protection Act (KCPA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1. Directly Contact Your State Representative and Senator<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because the special session begins <strong>September 2<\/strong>, lawmakers are setting their legislative priorities now:<sup><\/sup>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Find Your District Legislators:<\/strong> Use the <a href=\"https:\/\/ndlegis.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">North Dakota Legislative Branch Directory<\/a> to locate contact details for your district&#8217;s Senator and Representatives.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Personalized Communications:<\/strong> Send short, polite, individualized emails or written letters. State clearly that you are a constituent.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Key Talking Points:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Distinguish Raw Leaf from Synthetics:<\/strong> Explain the critical difference between standard, unadulterated botanical kratom (<em>Mitragyna Speciosa<\/em>) and concentrated synthetic extracts (such as 7-hydroxymitragynine\/7-OH).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Propose Regulation Over Prohibition:<\/strong> Advocate for the <strong>Kratom Consumer Protection Act (KCPA)<\/strong> framework\u2014which mandates age restrictions (21+), clear product labeling, alkaloid limits, and third-party testing\u2014rather than a total ban.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Share Personal Impact:<\/strong> Briefly share personal stories on how natural leaf kratom has contributed to safe daily wellness or pain management without relying on illicit substances.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. Engage Key Committee Leadership<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a short 3-day special session, decisions move rapidly through key leadership:<sup><\/sup>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Focus outreach on Senate and House leadership (e.g., Majority Leader David Hogue&#8217;s office and health committee members).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Respectfully request that legislative committees allow public testimony and consider regulatory amendments rather than blanket criminalization.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3. Mobilize Community &amp; Consumer Support<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Coordinate with Advocacy Groups:<\/strong> Partner with non-profit consumer protection groups and advocacy organizations (such as the American Kratom Association or local botanical coalitions) to pool educational resources and stay updated on action alerts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Submit Public Comments:<\/strong> Watch for announcements from the <strong>North Dakota Board of Pharmacy<\/strong> regarding public comment windows for their 180-day emergency administrative rulemaking process.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Local Business Outreach:<\/strong> Encourage local smoke shop owners, health food stores, and vendors to contact their representatives to explain the economic impact on small businesses and support reasonable regulation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Monday, August 3, 2026 Governor Kelly Armstrong declared a public Health Emergency banning ALL kratom products. He has called for a special session of the legislature for September 2nd to solidify complete prohibition. This executive order took effect Wednesday, August 5th, lasting for 30 days. It bans the manufacture, delivery, distribution, sale, purchase, possession, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3193","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.botanicalae.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.botanicalae.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.botanicalae.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.botanicalae.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.botanicalae.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3193"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.botanicalae.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3193\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3202,"href":"https:\/\/www.botanicalae.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3193\/revisions\/3202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.botanicalae.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}