Kansas Kratom Ban HB 2365: What Happened, What It Means, and How to Fight It
If you haven't been following Kansas this week, here's the full breakdown.
## What Happened
A kratom prohibition was sneaked into HB 2365 — a bill originally about mental health hospital funding — via a conference committee on March 24, 2026. This is a tactic called "gut and replace" or a "conference committee amendment" that allows legislators to attach unrelated provisions to bills that are already moving.
The kratom ban passed both the Kansas House and Senate as part of HB 2365 before the legislative session ended on March 27. It now sits on Governor Laura Kelly's desk.
## The Specific Language
The bill would add kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) and its active alkaloids (mitragynine, 7-hydroxymitragynine) to the Kansas Schedule I controlled substances list — the same category as heroin and LSD. Possession would become a criminal offense.
## Who Did This
Representative Susan Ruiz (D-23rd district, suburban Kansas City) was apparently the lone voice in the conference committee speaking against the prohibition. The rest voted to attach the ban with little debate.
The Kansas AKA contact on the ground describes it as a small group of legislators using procedural tactics to pass legislation that couldn't pass on its own merits. The standalone kratom ban bill (SB 497) was failing — so they attached it to something guaranteed to pass.
## Governor Kelly's Options
1. **Sign the bill** — kratom becomes Schedule I in Kansas
2. **Veto the bill** — kratom ban dies, but so does the mental health hospital funding it was attached to (complicated politically)
3. **Line-item veto** — Kansas allows this; the governor could theoretically veto only the kratom provision
4. **Allow it to pass without signature** — same effect as signing after 10 days
Governor Kelly is a Democrat who generally leans toward harm reduction and personal freedom on substance issues. This is not a lost cause.
## What Actually Works
From advocates who've done this before:
**Most effective:** Personal phone calls to the Governor's office (785-296-3232). Keep it under 2 minutes. Say your name, where you're from, that you're a kratom user, and one specific way kratom has improved your life. Don't read a script — be genuine.
**Second best:** Email via the official contact form. Use protectkratom.org/kansas for a pre-written template you can personalize.
**Third:** Share this on every kratom group you're in. Kansas users especially need to call, but calls from other states matter too — they show the governor this is a national issue.
## The KCPA Alternative
The American Kratom Association has been pushing states to adopt the Kratom Consumer Protection Act instead of banning. The KCPA requires age verification (21+), lab testing, proper labeling, and bans synthetic variants like 7-OH extract. It's a reasonable middle ground that protects consumers while addressing legitimate safety concerns.
Several states (FL, AZ, CO, VA, NV, GA) have already adopted KCPA-style regulation. Kansas could too — but only if the governor signals she wants an alternative to outright criminalization.
## Stay Updated
Follow this thread and the main tracker for Kansas updates. If you have direct news from the governor's office or state capitol, post it here.
## What Happened
A kratom prohibition was sneaked into HB 2365 — a bill originally about mental health hospital funding — via a conference committee on March 24, 2026. This is a tactic called "gut and replace" or a "conference committee amendment" that allows legislators to attach unrelated provisions to bills that are already moving.
The kratom ban passed both the Kansas House and Senate as part of HB 2365 before the legislative session ended on March 27. It now sits on Governor Laura Kelly's desk.
## The Specific Language
The bill would add kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) and its active alkaloids (mitragynine, 7-hydroxymitragynine) to the Kansas Schedule I controlled substances list — the same category as heroin and LSD. Possession would become a criminal offense.
## Who Did This
Representative Susan Ruiz (D-23rd district, suburban Kansas City) was apparently the lone voice in the conference committee speaking against the prohibition. The rest voted to attach the ban with little debate.
The Kansas AKA contact on the ground describes it as a small group of legislators using procedural tactics to pass legislation that couldn't pass on its own merits. The standalone kratom ban bill (SB 497) was failing — so they attached it to something guaranteed to pass.
## Governor Kelly's Options
1. **Sign the bill** — kratom becomes Schedule I in Kansas
2. **Veto the bill** — kratom ban dies, but so does the mental health hospital funding it was attached to (complicated politically)
3. **Line-item veto** — Kansas allows this; the governor could theoretically veto only the kratom provision
4. **Allow it to pass without signature** — same effect as signing after 10 days
Governor Kelly is a Democrat who generally leans toward harm reduction and personal freedom on substance issues. This is not a lost cause.
## What Actually Works
From advocates who've done this before:
**Most effective:** Personal phone calls to the Governor's office (785-296-3232). Keep it under 2 minutes. Say your name, where you're from, that you're a kratom user, and one specific way kratom has improved your life. Don't read a script — be genuine.
**Second best:** Email via the official contact form. Use protectkratom.org/kansas for a pre-written template you can personalize.
**Third:** Share this on every kratom group you're in. Kansas users especially need to call, but calls from other states matter too — they show the governor this is a national issue.
## The KCPA Alternative
The American Kratom Association has been pushing states to adopt the Kratom Consumer Protection Act instead of banning. The KCPA requires age verification (21+), lab testing, proper labeling, and bans synthetic variants like 7-OH extract. It's a reasonable middle ground that protects consumers while addressing legitimate safety concerns.
Several states (FL, AZ, CO, VA, NV, GA) have already adopted KCPA-style regulation. Kansas could too — but only if the governor signals she wants an alternative to outright criminalization.
## Stay Updated
Follow this thread and the main tracker for Kansas updates. If you have direct news from the governor's office or state capitol, post it here.