It’s going to become increasingly available around our state.”

Sophia Domingoes, opioid project coordinator for the Newport County Prevention Coalition

PORTSMOUTH — As kratom becomes increasingly available for sale in Rhode Island, the Portsmouth Prevention Coalition wants residents to know more about what they’re buying — and what risks may come with it.

The town council voted unanimously Aug. 24 to release up to $15,000 from the town’s opioid settlement funds for an education campaign about kratom and a separate opioid-safety initiative aimed at older adults.

The coalition had requested the money to fill what it considers gaps in existing prevention programs. The town has about $65,000 remaining in its opioid settlement fund, according to Town Administrator Richard Rainer Jr.

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“Kratom is a newly emerge substance,” said Georgie Allott, coordinator for the Portsmouth Prevention Coalition. She noted that Rhode Island’s previous ban on kratom was reversed in April, allowing regulated sales in the state.

“It’s now allowed to be sold in any business that applies for a license in Rhode Island, including gas stations,” Allott said.

The coalition is not taking a position for or against kratom, she said, but wants to provide residents with information about the substance.

The proposed campaign would include community educational materials, parent and youth education, outreach to health care providers and retailers, social media messaging and a community panel featuring experts from different backgrounds.

Sophia Domingoes, opioid project coordinator for the Newport County Prevention Coalition, told the council that kratom has been used for a long time in Southeast Asia but has only relatively recently become commercially available in the United States.

“It’s going to become increasingly available around our state,” Domingoes said.

“Kratom works on the same receptors in our brains as opioids and is often used to help manage symptoms of opioid withdrawal,” she said.

According to the Rhode Island Department of Health, 10 overdose fatalities involving kratom were reported in the state between 2020 and 2024, according to information included in the coalition’s funding request.

Rhode Island’s new Kratom Act took effect April 1. Rather than simply allowing unrestricted sales, the law established a licensing and regulatory system for kratom manufacturers, distributors and retailers. Retail sales are limited to people 21 and older, products must be kept behind the sales counter, and retailers must verify customers’ ages. The law also establishes restrictions on the contents and labeling of kratom products.

The state Department of Health says kratom products can have serious health risks, including liver toxicity, seizures, dependence, withdrawal and potentially dangerous interactions with other substances. There are currently no FDA-approved prescription or over-the-counter kratom products in the United States.

Works slowly in the system

Council member Juan Carlos Payero said there is a need to educate young people about kratom before it becomes more readily available in stores.

“It does not impact you as quickly as an opioid medication,” Payero said, adding that he believed effects could emerge after “200-300 days of continual uses.”

Payero also referenced Massachusetts, where Gov. Maura Healey’s administration announced this month that the state would restrict kratom sales. The order took effect Friday, Aug. 28, temporarily placing all forms of kratom into Schedule I under Massachusetts law for up to one year.

Council member David Reise questioned whether education alone would solve the problem. Education “is a temporary patch,” Reise said, “until we fix the real problem.”

The coalition’s funding request also includes an opioid safety and prevention program for older adults. That program would provide educational workshops and materials on safe opioid use, medication storage and disposal, alternatives for pain management and overdose prevention.

The proposal calls for distributing items including medication lock bags, pill organizers, pill splitters, medication disposal products and naloxone kits.

The coalition said Portsmouth’s older population makes the initiative particularly relevant. About one-quarter of Portsmouth residents are 65 or older, according to figures cited in the coalition’s proposal.

The two programs are intended to expand prevention efforts beyond the youth-focused programs covered by the coalition’s existing federal funding.

The council voted 7-0 to release up to $15,000 from the opioid settlement fund for the initiatives.