Plymouth Township Police Department — Police Department That Urged Ban
Plymouth Township trustees voted unanimously this week to advance a township-wide ordinance that would ban the sale of kratom, pushing the community toward a final decision set for October 27. The move comes as Police Chief James Knittel Jr. has pressed local leaders to take action against both kratom and its concentrated derivative known as 7-OH, warning that both have become too easy for teenagers and young adults to buy.
The Plymouth Township Board of Trustees voted unanimously Tuesday to advance the new ordinance amendment, according to WXYZ. As described by ClickOnDetroit, the proposed ordinance would impose three levels of civil fines on businesses that sell kratom, starting at $1,000 to $2,500 and climbing to $7,500 depending on the violation. WXYZ separately reported the fine range as $1,000 to $7,500, with aggravated violations carrying penalties of up to $25,000, and both outlets agree that repeat violations could escalate to misdemeanor charges for businesses that refuse to comply.
Why Plymouth Township Is Targeting Kratom and 7-OH
Knittel has said kratom mimics the effects of opioids and that its marketing appears to target high school teenagers and college students, raising safety concerns the chief has flagged directly to trustees. He has also said that combining kratom with alcohol or another narcotic can be hazardous and potentially deadly, pointing to two incidents handled by the Plymouth Township Police Department involving kratom mixed with alcohol or another narcotic, both of which were associated with addiction issues similar to heroin…