Bloomington redisents speak out as the Bloomington City Council approves a citywide ban

Image courtesy of the City of Bloomington

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – After hearing impassioned testimony from residents on both sides, the Bloomington City Council approved a citywide ban on kratom during its Monday meeting.

Ward 2 Council member Michael Mosley introduced the ordinance and urged his colleagues to support the amendment.

“This ordinance comes from a place of caring for our neighbors and taking residents’ concerns seriously,” Mosley said.

Mosley said the issue was first brought to his attention by a concerned Bloomington resident, and he has spent the past seven to eight months researching the topic.

“The real concern is that kratom is being sold without regulation, consistent dosage and oversight, so people don’t actually always know what they’re taking or how risky it may be,” Mosley said.

Bloomington Corporation Counsel Christopher Spanos, Assistant Police Chief Paul Williams and forensic pathologist John Denton presented the ordinance to the council, outlining what kratom is and why the city is proposing the ban.

Spanos took a look at several other municipalities in Illinois and found that many of them already have regulations on kratom.

“A number of them are very strict, some of them are very basic, the proposal in front of you landed somewhere in the middle,” Spanos said. “After discussions with BPD, Mosely, the mayor and nursing staff, that was an appropriate recommendation at this time.”

Spanos emphasized that the ordinance does not prohibit THC-infused beverages.

Williams said the drug is commonly referred to as “gas station heroin” and is used as a substitute for more potent drugs.

“Don’t be confused. No one is going to prison for possessing this. That’s not the intent of this,” said Williams. “This is a dangerous, dangerous substance, and it’s not regulated. You can buy one brand, and you don’t know that what you’re getting there is the same as what you’re getting from a different brand.”

Williams quoted a Mayo Clinic Health System page on the drug.

“This compound has not been shown to be safe or treat any medical condition,” Williams said.

Denton provided a scientific explanation of kratom and its effects.

During public comment, residents both for and against the ordinance addressed the council. Three speakers, all current or former kratom users, said the substance had significantly improved their lives.

Public speaker Misty Brown said the ramifications of including possession in the ordinance will be “astronomical.”

“Kratom gave me the breathing room to heal and allowed me to rebuild my life,” Brown said. “I have not returned to pain management for over six and a half years today, I’m a thriving mother, a first-time grandmother and a contributing member to society.”

Public speaker Jennifer Gillis shared her personal experience with kratom and said that comparing kratom to opioids is not realistic.

“I lived in constant pain. I felt hopeless, and I was desperate for relief. In 2019, all that changed when I discovered holy kratom,” Gillis said. “For the first time in years, my pain became manageable, and because of kratom, I can get out of bed, run errands, attend school functions and live a somewhat normal life.”

Public speaker Michael Fasano has been consuming kratom for over 15 years to manage his chronic insomnia, joint pain and ADHD symptoms, and said he is healthy mentally and physically because of it.

Public speaker Chelsea Lefleman urged the council to vote yes on the ordinance to keep the community safe.

“It is not fair to let a multi-billion dollar industry police itself while our neighbors pay the price with their lives,” Lefleman said. “A ban on these retail sales is an act of collective care. It is a statement that in this city, we prioritize the safety of our families over the profit margins of unregulated distributors.”

According to Lefleman, the kratom death toll over the last decade hit over 2000 fatal overdoses in Florida alone. Lefleman also said medical examiners documented 46 deaths where kratom was the only substance in the victim’s system.

“It is about corporate accountability and stopping a predatory industry from exploiting our most vulnerable neighbors,” Lefleman said. “These are unregulated, unapproved drugs being sold next to candy bars and soda where children’s eyes naturally go in the gas stations.”

Multiple local business owners, including Cameron Feldman, spoke with the council about their concern for how this ordinance will impact local businesses and the public. Feldman has been in the business of selling kratom for 14 years and said this ordinance will result in loss of jobs, economic growth, tax revenue and livelihoods.

“After millions of dollars in sales and thousands upon thousands of happy customers, I can tell you, kratom saves livelihoods, and kratom saves lives,” Feldman said. “Kratom is not a party substance. People use it therapeutically for three different reasons: chronic pain, chronic fatigue, anxiety and depression.”

“Ask yourself a question, ‘Are you really willing to turn thousands of your fellow Bloomingtonites into criminals overnight?’ Because I can promise you, one way or another, these folks will find a way to get their hands on this miracle of Mother Nature, which has helped to save their livelihoods and, in many cases, their very lives,” Feldman continued.

The council approved the ordinance unanimously.

The Bloomington City Council meets at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays of each month.