FORT MYERS, Fla. — A new Florida law states it’s illegal to sell, deliver, barter, furnish, or give, directly or indirectly, any kratom product to a person under 21 years of age.
Kratom is an herbal substance that can produce stimulant and sedative-like effects. Kratom is sold in many kava bars across Florida. Kava is a complex plant that’s root is often brewed into tea.
Both kava and kratom have become a craze in the Sunshine State.
“The first kava bars opened in the early 2000s in South Florida,” said Dallas Vasquez, CEO of Mitra 9. “Now, without a doubt, there’s more kava bars in the state of Florida than the rest of the country combined; there may be more in just Tampa alone!”
Vasquez is the CEO of Mitra 9 in Fort Myers. It’s a beverage manufacturer and distributor, we manufacture kava and kratom products in a few different forms.”
From liquid form to powder form, the products he distributes are the ones you end up seeing in common places like a kava bar.
The miracle root, as some call it, can be used for many different reasons. Vasquez said it has been used for thousands of years in a traditional sense with tribes even, and some like it just as an option or alternative alcohol.
But as the kratom craze continues to boom in our state, Florida lawmakers became concerned.
Vasquez said, “I think the difference between kratom and kava is that kratom has some addictive properties or that there are some alkaloids in the plant that they think are addictive.”
But regulations are nothing new for Mitra 9. The company took a proactive labeling stance a long time ago when it started and always had some type of age requirement.
Recently, the Florida legislature slapped an age limit on kratom consumption, which Vasquez said regulation might be a good thing because, just like a traditional bar where some drinks are stronger than others, the same thing happens with kratom dosage.
“I’ve seen a number of social media posts where people are like 21 and over now, but I think really that the majority of kava bars are going to see a very light effect from this,” Vasquez said.
The law not only comes with an age limit, it also requires more transparency in product labeling.
But at the end of the day, Vasquez said it depends on the kava bar. There are some kava bars where 80% of their business is kava, there are some kava bars where 80-90% of their business is kratom, so time will tell how the change will impact the industry.
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