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3/19/2026
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As legal sales approach, McGaw files bill to require kratom be locked up in stores
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STATE HOUSE – Rep. Michelle McGaw has introduced legislation to require kratom products — which become legal for sale in Rhode Island April 1 — to be kept in a locked case behind sales counters.
“Kratom is an addictive psychoactive substance. Particularly given how little study there has been on its effects on the body, it warrants extra security to prevent it from falling into the hands of kids. If we are going to allow it to be sold in our state, we must ensure that it’s not out on display or kept where it could be easily stolen by someone who isn’t allowed to buy it,” said Representative McGaw (D-Dist. 71, Portsmouth, Tiverton, Little Compton).
Rhode Island is one of a handful of states where kratom sales are illegal, but that will change on April 1, when a law passed last year to regulate its sale to people age 21 and over takes effect. Representative McGaw voted against that law, arguing that there hasn’t been enough study on kratom to determine its safety. Kratom affects the body’s opioid receptors, just as oxycontin and other addictive drugs do, and it can be addictive.
Representative McGaw’s bill (2026-H 7518) would require that kratom be kept in a locked case accessible only to store employees.
The bill had a hearing before the House Corporations Committee March 12, during which Representative McGaw shared information about how, after a wave of legalization in states across the country, other states are now taking steps to restrict kratom sales due to overdose deaths. Last month, Connecticut became the seventh state to designate kratom as a Schedule 1 controlled substance – the same category as heroin. Louisiana banned its sales in August 2025. It’s also banned in Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Vermont and Wisconsin. In January the Department of War added kratom to its list of banned substances.
Utah, which in 2019 became the first state to establish legal kratom sales, experienced a 43% increase in kratom deaths from 2021 to 2025 after legalization. Utah has since tightened its laws on kratom sales, restricting them to licensed tobacco shops.
According to information provided to Representative McGaw by the Department of Health, between 2020 and 2024, there were 10 overdose fatalities in Rhode Island involving kratom.
“Given the experiences of other states where kratom is legal, Rhode Island should take every step available to keep kratom secure and out of the reach of young people,” said Representative McGaw.
Companion legislation has been filed in the Senate by Sen. Pamela J. Lauria (D-Dist. 32, Barrington, Bristol, East Providence).
For more information, contact:
Meredyth R. Whitty, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-1923
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