Monroe County is joining several counties and cities in the region to ban the sale of Kratom at convenience and tobacco stores.
The addictive product is currently available over the counter at some stores in Monroe County, but during a recent board of supervisors meeting, language was approved to add an ordinance banning Kratom.
Representatives from the Crime and Addiction Task Force of the Lowndes County Foundation requested for supervisors to pass the ban. The group previously convinced six other counties and seven cities in North Mississippi to issue Kratom bans, and it plans to make the same request to the Aberdeen and Amory boards of aldermen.
“We have documentation where people have $800 a week habits that they’re spending on buying these drugs,” said Lt. Eddie Hawkins of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, who started his career with the Aberdeen Police Department.
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