Mississippi lawmaker calls for ban on kratom products

Mississippi lawmaker calls for ban on. Mississippi lawmaker calls for ban on kratom products.

Key points

• State Representative Lee Yancey presents in the well of the House, Wednesday, March 14, 2024.
• Two suspects were arrested in relation to the investigation – 51-year-old Yahya Mohamed Mosleh and 18-year-old Islam Mohamed.
• One bill on kratom did become law during the 2025 legislative session, HB 1077.
• The City of Oxford has prohibited the possession, distribution and sale of kratom since 2019.
• The emergency ruling lifts a lower court's restrictions for now on the program, called Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE.

Mississippi lawmaker calls for ban on. Mississippi lawmaker calls for ban on kratom products. By: Jeremy Pittari – September 28, 2026.

State Representative Lee Yancey presents in the well of the House, Wednesday, March 14, 2024. (Photo by Jeremy Pittari Magnolia Tribune).

State Rep. Lee Yancey suggests that if banning all kratom products outright is not something the Mississippi Senate would consider, there should be an extra layer between the general public and kratom, such as classifying it as a Schedule II substance.

After the death of two Ole Miss students, two men were arrested by Oxford Police last week for illegally selling kratom products out of a local convenience store.

For context, a connection between the deaths, arrests and kratom has not been confirmed by law enforcement. The State Medical Examiner has sought expedited toxicology testing from both student deaths.

"Law enforcement is at present conducting two separate death investigations. At this time we have no confirmed evidence indicating that the two deaths are connected, " read a statement from the Lafayette County Metro Narcotics unit. "However, packaged Kratom sold from a retail store was found during both investigations."

Notably, the students, both young men aged 18 and 20 years old, were discovered in separate locations last week – one on campus and the other off campus.

In practice, the City of Oxford has prohibited the possession, distribution and sale of kratom since 2019.

Even though employ of kratom has not been determined as a contributing factor in the deaths, the police advised the public to avoid using kratom and any other substance not prescribed by a doctor.

After the deaths and subsequent arrests, one state lawmaker is calling for the Mississippi Legislature to once again consider a statewide ban on kratom.

"Those deaths were so tragic and convenience stores have been peddling unregulated drugs for some time now, " State Rep. Lee Yancey (R) informed Magnolia Tribune on Monday. "It is beyond past time to take that seriously and demand that these products be tested."

After the deaths of the two students, Oxford Police Department received a tip that illegal substances were being sold out of a business in the 100 block of Heritage Drive, known as the Puffs Vape, Tobacco and Beer Store, Oxford Police documented in an official note.

Investigators were able to create a "controlled purchase" of illegal substances in that store, a warrant was secured, and a search of the business identified 500 doses of Kratom, vape cartridges containing THC, gummies and extra substances suspected to contain narcotics.

Two suspects were arrested in relation to the investigation – 51-year-old Yahya Mohamed Mosleh and 18-year-old Islam Mohamed. Both suspects are residents of Oxford. As the investigation continues the suspects could face extra charges. Amer Alowdi, 40, the owner of the business, fled the United States before facing a trafficking indictment in 2022.

While Mississippi does not have a statewide ban on kratom products, municipalities and counties have the ability to place prohibitions on the substance at the local level. The City of Oxford's ban prevents the legal sale and distribution of products containing kratom to any person, regardless of age.

In his prior role as the Mississippi House of Representatives' Drug Policy Committee chairman, Yancey has introduced a number of bills to ban kratom products outright, but the state Senate has never taken the bills up for a vote. Yancey now serves as chair of the House Business and Commerce Committee.

"Previous efforts in the Legislature have failed to ban kratom outright. They passed in the House but the Senate wouldn't consider the bills, " Yancey remarked.

He suspects the Senate declined to take the bills up since the federal administration has not taken action on the substance.

"The Senate didn't want to get ahead of the federal government, " he continued.

One bill on kratom did become law during the 2025 legislative session, HB 1077. The measure not only set age restrictions of 21 or older, but additionally produced a synthetic form of Kratom, 7-OH, illegal. Another provision in the bill mandated that natural kratom products be stored behind the counter, out of reach of the customer.

Even though the 7-OH version of kratom has been banned, Rep. Yancey remarked manufacturers simply modify the substance's chemical makeup slightly to skirt the current law.

"Those would have to be specifically mentioned in the law to be banned, " Yancey explained. "Cause they can change one molecule and have as potent of a drug and it not meet the letter of the law and escape regulation. It's like playing whack a mole with all these drugs."

Oxford Police is investigating other retailers selling the substance, with arrests forthcoming if businesses are discovered to be in violation of the local ban.

"This investigation does not end with these arrests, " Oxford Police stated. "These individuals and this business are not necessarily the only people involved in the illegal distribution of these products, and they should not expect to be the last arrests made as our enforcement efforts continue."

"The question we ought to be asking is why are we allowing unregulated drugs to be sold in convenience stores?" Rep. Yancey posited. "We need to give law enforcement the tools they need to stop this."

Yancey suggests that if banning all kratom products outright is not something the Senate would consider, there should at the particularly least be an further layer between the general public and kratom, such as classifying it as a Schedule II substance. Schedule II substances have accepted medical uses but are additionally considered highly addictive.

While the toxicology report will provide more details on the cause of death of the two Ole Miss students, Yancey remarked there have been other deaths where kratom was involved.

"I would encourage every city and county to look at this and to consider whether this is something they really need in their community, " Yancey pressed. Regarding the Author(s).

Jeremy Pittari is a lifelong resident of the Gulf Coast. Born and raised in Slidell, La., he moved to South Mississippi in the early 90s. Jeremy earned an associate in arts from Pearl River Community College and went on to attend the University of Southern Mississippi, where he earned a bachelor's of arts in journalism. A week after Hurricane Katrina, he began an internship as a reporter with the community newspaper in Pearl River County. After graduation, he accepted a full-time position at that news outlet where he covered the recovery process post Katrina in Pearl River and Hancock Counties. For almost 17 years he wrote concerning local administration, education, law enforcement, crime, business and a variety of other topics. Email Jeremy: [email protected].

News Magnolia Tribune September 28, 2026. Magnolia Mornings: September 28, 2026.

Significant state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed. More From This Author. News Jeremy Pittari September 25, 2026. Veterans Affairs cuts backlog, sets record for number of claims processed. News Jeremy Pittari September 24, 2026.

Mississippi welcomes a record number of visitors that spent $12.4 billion. News Jeremy Pittari September 23, 2026.

Suicide rates in Mississippi, U.S. Have risen. Awareness is key to prevention, researchers say. Education Frank Corder September 28, 2026.

U.S. Dept. Of Education rescinds Biden-era attempt to expand Title IX beyond "biological reality". News Ali Swenson, Associated Press September 25, 2026.

Supreme Court lets Trump administration employ revamped federal voter eligibility database for now.

Meanwhile, the emergency ruling lifts a lower court's restrictions for now on the program, called Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE. Although its apply remains voluntary, the lately revamped Department of Homeland Security tool has been a central pillar of President Donald Trump's crackdown on noncitizen voting. News Frank Corder September 25, 2026.

Auditor White returns home from National Guard deployment, remains "laser-focused" on uncovering waste, fraud, and abuse.

Auditor White, a Republican, has publicly remarked he is considering a run for governor in 2027 but would not be making an announcement on his political future until afterwards this year. News Frank Corder September 28, 2026. Governor sets Senate District 34 special election. News Frank Corder September 28, 2026.

IHL hopes to have new MUW President in place by spring 2027. News Anne D'Innocenzio, Associated Press September 28, 2026.

Trump administration set to roll out lower fuel economy standards for cars, light trucks. Business Cass Rutledge September 25, 2026. A&W Custom Furniture expanding in Okolona, adding 20 jobs. Business Frank Corder September 24, 2026.

In short, mississippi lawmaker calls for ban on kratom products is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.