La Quinta Taking Early Action on Kratom Regulation

Council Will Introduce Ordinance to Help Regulate Kratom Sales

LA QUINTA — An ordinance will be introduced today, Tuesday, Jan. 20, at the La Quinta City Council meeting that would regulate kratom sales in the city, including age restrictions and limits on high-potency and synthetic products. The discussion is framed around public safety and the broader opioid crisis, not prohibition.

The approach is supported by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, the County Board of Supervisors, and narcotics enforcement organizations who are seeing real-world impacts from unregulated products.

What makes this notable is that while several cities in Western Riverside County have already adopted similar measures, La Quinta would be among the first cities in the Coachella Valley / Eastern Riverside County to do so. It’s an example of a valley city stepping out front rather than waiting for problems to escalate.

Highly concentrated and synthetic kratom-based products — marketed in the form of powders, capsules, gummies and ‘energy shots’ — have proliferated in the U.S,” according to a statement from the Riverside County Executive Office. “These products are commonly sold online, in smoke shops and at convenience stores, often with no quality control or labeling standards.”

Steve Sanchez, a La Quinta City Councilmember who is seeking election to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, told Uken Report that, “This ordinance is not about banning kratom or criminalizing adults. It’s about putting guardrails on an unregulated market, protecting minors, and addressing the real danger posed by concentrated synthetic products that behave like opioids.”

Parents deserve to know that concentrated synthetic kratom products have already been linked to the loss of young lives, Sanchez wrote in an email.

“This ordinance is about stopping that harm before it spreads, before a preventable crisis becomes something far worse. We are not banning natural kratom or taking choices away from responsible adults; we are putting commonsense protections in place to keep dangerous, high potency products out of the hands of kids. Concentrated synthetic kratom has already taken young lives, and that’s a crisis we cannot ignore. This ordinance protects kids, respects responsible adults, and stops dangerous products before a preventable problem becomes something much larger.”

In August, the Orange County Board of Supervisors approved a measure that prohibits kratom marketing and sales, following similar proposals from cities across Southern California, including Jurupa Valley, Oceanside, San Diego, Solana Beach and Newport Beach.

The City Council meets in the City Hall Council Chamber, 78495 Calle Tampico, La Quinta. A closed session begins at 3 p.m. followed by an open session at 4 p.m.