OXFORD, Miss. — Two University of Mississippi students died in separate cases in Oxford on Sept. 21, and the deaths have pushed state legislators to draft new limits on kratom for the coming session.
Rep. Lee Yancey of Brandon, who wrote the 2025 state law, wants to outlaw synthetic kratom products. If the Senate will not accept an outright ban, he has floated placing kratom in the Schedule II class of controlled substances, which would add a layer between buyers and the products.
Sen. Nicole Boyd, an Oxford Republican, is drafting a different approach: a bill letting a state agency such as the Board of Health pull potentially harmful products from shelves until lawmakers act. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann has called for a statewide ban, and State Health Officer Dan Edney backs treating the kratom leaf as a Schedule III drug.
Current state law already bars kratom sales to anyone under 21 and outlaws a synthetic form. Oxford went further years ago: the city has barred selling, sharing or even holding kratom since 2019, and Lafayette County adopted its own ban in January 2021.
Investigators with the Lafayette County Metro Narcotics unit found store-bought kratom packages while looking into each death, the unit said, but it has not confirmed the two cases are connected. Oxford Police later searched a store in the 100 block of Heritage Drive and reported finding 500 doses of kratom. Lawmakers return to Jackson in January.
Not every legislator expects a quick fix. Rep. Daniel Sparks of Belmont noted lawmakers have argued over banning kratom for upward of six years, and he warned that outlawing one substance can lead makers to sell look-alike products under new names. Ole Miss has steered students toward drug education and wellness help through its William Magee Center.
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