Is Kratom legal in Maine?

Maine’s long rocky Atlantic Coast is known for its frigid waters and an ample fishery and is even more known for its Maine lobster. The state also is popular for its more than 40,000 acres of wild blueberries. But how does it feel about Kratom? 

The short answer is Kratom is legal to purchase, sell and distribute in Maine. At the time of writing this article, Kratom is easily available in Maine by simply going to the local smoke or vape shop. It is also legal to have it shipped to you, so you don’t have to worry about anything.  And unlike other states where Kratom might be legal on a state level, but specific cities or counties choose to ban it, Kratom is completely legal all through Maine including major cities like Portland, Augusta, Bangor, Bar Harbor, and Lewiston.

Kratom In Maine

On the federal level, Kratom has no classification. This makes it the purview of each state to choose where kratom stands within its borders. Although the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) tried to ban Kratom, it was met with a huge backlash from the Kratom community. This among other factors is responsible for the Federal government leaving each state to choose how to handle Kratom.

But Kratom’s sojourn in Maine hasn’t been void of its own challenges. In 2017 came the introduction of a bill to the state’s senate aiming at banning Mitragynine. Mitragynine happens to be the most prevalent alkaloid within Kratom. Thankfully, members of the Senate amended the bill and omitted Mitragynine from the final copy which later passed. In reality, the bill’s intention was not only to ban Kratom but to classify it with the state’s Schedule W controlled substance list. Other compounds on the list include opium, morphine, heroin, methadone, amphetamine amongst others. 

Although this has been the only attempt at making Kratom illegal within the state, the American Kratom Association has already begun lobbying and awareness efforts. In fact, recently The American Kratom Association and the Botanical Education Alliance came together to get community members to fund a lobbying movement. This movement has also seen the introduction of the Kratom Consumer Protection Act (KCPA).

Classification & Regulation of Kratom In Maine

Although Kratom’s legal status is clear, it might interest you to know if Kratom is classified or regulated in Maine. Thanks to its legal status, Kratom is currently not classified in Maine making it free to use, sell and distribute. Furthermore, there are no kratom regulations. The hope is with the adoption of the Kratom Consumer Protection Act that would change.

What Next? Maine & Kratom in the Future

Today the American Kratom Association alongside numerous Kratom vendors and partners are working tirelessly to get all 50 states to adopt the Kratom Consumer Protection Act. This act not only protects users’ rights to Kratom but will also help regulate the industry. This ensures quality control standards exist across all vendors. In turn, this makes Kratom safer for users and will inadvertently ease the issues lawmakers might have about the supplement. 

Subsequently, it is important for the state of Maine to adopt a central policy pertaining to Kratom. By centralizing its policy and regulating metrics, cities and counties would be unable to take action that would put the Kratom habits of thousands of users within the state in jeopardy. That’s where things stand if kratom is legal in Maine.

Jasmin Weber

Jasmin Weber has been working in the kratom & CBD industry for 3 years with Grassroots Harvest and GRH Kratom. She regularly writes content for both the cannabis and kratom websites of these stores & can also be found featured on related sites around the web.