Plymouth Township trustees voted unanimously this week to advance a township-wide ordinance that would ban the sale of kratom, pushing the community toward a final decision set for October 27. The move comes as Police Chief James Knittel Jr. has pressed local leaders to take action against both kratom and its concentrated derivative known as 7-OH, warning that both have become too easy for teenagers and young adults to buy.
The Plymouth Township Board of Trustees voted unanimously Tuesday to advance the new ordinance amendment, according to WXYZ. As described by ClickOnDetroit, the proposed ordinance would impose three levels of civil fines on businesses that sell kratom, starting at $1,000 to $2,500 and climbing to $7,500 depending on the violation. WXYZ separately reported the fine range as $1,000 to $7,500, with aggravated violations carrying penalties of up to $25,000, and both outlets agree that repeat violations could escalate to misdemeanor charges for businesses that refuse to comply.
Why Plymouth Township Is Targeting Kratom and 7-OH
Knittel has said kratom mimics the effects of opioids and that its marketing appears to target high school teenagers and college students, raising safety concerns the chief has flagged directly to trustees. He has also said that combining kratom with alcohol or another narcotic can be hazardous and potentially deadly, pointing to two incidents handled by the Plymouth Township Police Department involving kratom mixed with alcohol or another narcotic, both of which were associated with addiction issues similar to heroin.
Kratom is currently sold over the counter at smoke shops, gas stations and other retail stores, often displayed alongside nutritional supplements, five-hour energy products and energy drinks, with the product's own labeling sometimes printed very small. The same pattern shows up regionally: the station's report notes that kratom products are also sold as tablets, gummies and drinks, a description echoed by Axios in its coverage of the statewide debate over kratom regulation.
Poison Center Data Shows a Sharp Rise
The numbers behind the local push are notable. Axios reports that the Michigan Poison and Drug Information Center logged 347 cases involving kratom, 7-OH or similar synthetic substances between 2021 and 2025, with 87 of those cases occurring in 2025 alone — an 81% jump from the year before. Clinical toxicologist Varun Vohra told Axios that 7-OH exposures were associated with more severe withdrawal symptoms and greater intensive-care needs than other kratom-related cases.
Addiction specialists have warned that kratom and its potent derivative 7-OH can quickly become addictive, and regular users can develop dependence and experience withdrawal, according to a report from MLive. Kratom remains unregulated and unapproved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to a separate ClickOnDetroit report on neighboring Canton Township's own kratom concerns.
Neighboring Communities Have Already Acted
Plymouth Township would not be breaking new ground among its neighbors. Canton Township and Clinton Township have already enacted ordinances regulating kratom sales and prohibiting sales to anyone under 21, and WXYZ notes that Sterling Heights has also taken steps to regulate the substance. Canton's ordinance specifically aims to regulate kratom sales, prohibit synthetic kratom products and bar sales to people younger than 21, and it would require buyers to show valid identification while barring kratom sales or displays within 500 feet of schools, child care centers, parks, libraries and recreation centers, per MLive's reporting.
Canton Police Chief Joseph Bialy has been careful to frame that city's approach as regulation rather than prohibition, telling MLive, “We are not banning kratom completely.” The distinction matters: Canton's effort followed an August 28 inspection at a Canton-area tobacco shop where authorities said they found hundreds of kratom and highly concentrated 7-OH products, according to the same MLive account.
State Lawmakers Remain Divided
Plymouth Township's local debate is playing out against an unresolved fight in Lansing. The Michigan House passed House Bill 5537, which would ban kratom sales statewide, in March 2026, but the bill still awaits a vote in the state Senate. A competing measure, Senate Bill 1181, was introduced in September 2026 and would take a different approach — requiring clear labeling and third-party laboratory testing of kratom products while banning synthetic 7-OH products outright, rather than banning kratom itself. The Michigan Legislature's own bill record describes SB 1181 as concerning regulation of the distribution, sale and manufacturing of kratom products, and as of now it has not received a vote.
At the federal level, the FDA has said it is recommending a scheduling action to specifically target concentrated 7-OH products rather than natural kratom leaf, according to the agency's own announcement. For Plymouth Township, the outcome of its own ordinance will come down to the trustees' scheduled final vote on October 27, when the board is expected to decide whether the civil fines and misdemeanor penalties advanced this week become local law.
