County Legislator William Murray will not be denied and his efforts are starting to pay off. Spurred on in part by the experience of a family friend's difficulties, the New Paltz Democrat continues to push for a county ban on the sale of kratom, the “gas station high.”

Marketed as an “herbal supplement” kratom products are derived from the leaves of Mitragyna speciosa, a tree native to Southeast Asia, and have gone largely unregulated in the U.S. until recent years and then on a patchwork basis with virtually no federal oversight.

While unadulterated pure kratom is available, the problem is with what’s sold at gas stations, smoke shops and convenience stores. The kratom you get from there is often supplemented with other chemicals to heighten its effects, earning it the nickname “gas station heroin.” Here in Ulster County health officials report two kratom-related deaths this year (one involving multiple drugs) and one in 2025 (also involving other drugs). The FDA has no oversight powers over kratom. According to the Centers for Disease Control, kratom was found in the systems of approximately 5,200 fatal drug overdose victims nationwide from 2020-24.

Murray took a first swing at the issue at the Oct. 8 meeting of the county's Health, Human Services and Human Rights Committee, when his Resolution 480 would have scheduled an Oct. 20 first public hearing on the ban, Proposed Local Law No. 16. The resolution would have forbidden the sale to minors of any and all kratom products and the sale to anyone of kratom products containing specified levels of certain opioid-like chemical compounds.

No committee members expressed anything but support for Murray. But concerns about the ability of the county's Department of Health to enforce the ban and about the need to scratch and redo public hearings if the measure undergoes substantial changes in the legislative process resulted in a 5-2 vote to postpone the measure.

That hesitancy also reflects that similar legislation is near or under consideration at the state and federal level. In Albany both houses of the state legislature passed kratom regulations late in last year's session and Gov. Kathy Hochul is believed to be likely to sign off on them.

Murray and other legislators who support the ban have spoken of the value of hearings as a public education tool at the very least. And so it was that Murray on Oct. 15 brought the measure to the county's Laws, Rules and Government committee where, voila!, the measure passed unanimously and with zero discussion.

“I think providing background information and conversations I’ve had the last few weeks helped,” Murray told Kingston Wire. “Some hadn’t heard of the substance or were unaware of the dangers associated with it. This is part of any process, legislative or when a group needs to make an informed decision.”

Next up for the measure is a vote before the full county legislature on Oct. 20. If approved the public hearing will be held Nov. 17.

Asked what he expects going forward, Murray told Kingston Wire that “DOH is concerned about how to staff [enforcement]. We’re discussing that aspect. Funding might require a budget amendment to be created after full legislative approval to move ahead with public hearing.”