This bill amends Iowa law to designate kratom, derived from the plant Mitragyna speciosa, as a schedule I controlled substance. The new legal language specifies that kratom includes any parts of the plant and its compounds, such as mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine. The bill clarifies that this designation does not imply agreement with the substance's effects by the members of the general assembly.

Under the new regulations, possession of kratom will result in varying degrees of penalties based on the number of offenses. A first offense will be classified as a serious misdemeanor, while subsequent violations will escalate to aggravated misdemeanors and, after two or more convictions, to class D felonies. The penalties include confinement and fines that increase in severity with each offense, ranging from a maximum of one year and a fine of $430 for a serious misdemeanor to a maximum of five years and a fine of $10,245 for a class D felony.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 124.204