North Dakota lawmakers showed their support for Kratom this week when a motion for a bill to ban the herbal substance, believed to possess mild opioid-like effects, in the state was defeated 77-15.

The North Dakota House Bill 1101 sought to ban Kratom by classifying it as a Schedule 1 substance. This would have placed Kratom alongside drugs such as heroin, cannabis and peyote.

Mitragyna speciosa, or Kratom as it is better known, is derived from a plant native to Southeast Asia. In the US, it is typically sold in powder, capsule and extract form. When consumed orally, its effects resemble those of opiates, although the effects are supposedly much milder.

Currently, Kratom is not federally regulated in the United States, allowing individual states to determine its legal status. Several US states have already implemented bans and restrictions on the substance.

In North Dakota, Kratom is unregulated and is sold widely across the state in head shops, grocery stores, gas stations and online stores.

While scientific research into Kratom is gaining pace worldwide it has not kept up with the herbal leaf's popularity and questions around its potential for addiction or overdose remain unanswered.

McKenzie McCoy, a nurse at Providence House, a treatment center in McKenzie County, testified in support of the proposed state ban on Kratom. McCoy urged lawmakers to introduce the bill.

"Once individuals are using illicit drugs like fentanyl or heroin, they often turn to Kratom in an attempt to quit, but it just becomes a vicious cycle,” McCoy said.

Nearly 100 individuals from 24 states submitted written or verbal testimony at Monday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing. Around two-thirds of the testimony opposed a Kratom ban, with most North Dakota residents also speaking out against it.

Mac Haddow, Senior Fellow on Public Policy for the American Kratom Association (AKA), testified in opposition to the ban.

He urged lawmakers to first try to regulate the substance before outright banning it.

Haddow said: "Regulation is the better pathway with what we know about Kratom.

“There are millions of Americans, tens of thousands of North Dakotans, who are benefitting from its use."

Ultimately, the House ultimately voted 77-15 against the bill on Wednesday 15 January, with some lawmakers arguing that a Schedule 1 classification was too extreme.

Haddow added: "Our fast action and the unwavering support of Kratom advocates nationwide have once again proven effective in protecting consumers."