Rensselaer County has banned kratom. What that means at the counter on Route 40.

If you have bought gas or a coffee on Route 40 lately you have probably walked past it without noticing: small bottles and packets of kratom, an herbal product from a Southeast Asian tree, sold next to the energy shots. As of this week, Rensselaer County says that has to stop.

County Executive Steve McLaughlin signed Local Law T-4 of 2026, the county kratom ban, after the County Legislature approved it 15 to 2 on September 9 and after a public hearing on September 24 that ran long on both sides. Rensselaer joins Albany and Washington counties, and Saratoga County is moving toward the same step.

What the law does

• Bans the sale and distribution of kratom in any form: natural-leaf products, extracts, and the concentrated derivative sold as 7-OH (short for 7-hydroxymitragynine, the kratom alkaloid behind the strongest tablets and shots), along with anything containing mitragynine or derived from the Mitragyna speciosa plant. The only exception is an FDA-approved or doctor-prescribed product, and there are none, so in practice it is a total ban.
• Fines up to $500 per item seized for a first violation and up to $1,000 per item after that. Willful violations can be prosecuted under the state Public Health Law.
• The county Health Department and police can inspect retailers, and vehicles, during routine inspections, on a complaint, or in the course of a criminal investigation.

Possession and use are not the target; the law is aimed at the people selling it.

Why the county acted

The push came from parents. At the September 24 hearing, Cari Scribner and Wendy Chamberlain, each of whom lost a son, urged the county executive to sign. Dr. Angad Madan, medical director of St. Peter’s Addiction Recovery Center, told reporters his main concern is overdoses from 7-OH products, which he described as “a full agonist opioid that is at least 13 times the potency of morphine,” and said he has begun seeing pregnant patients using kratom.

The other side was in the room too. Dave Spenziero, who uses kratom, and Tracey Hudson, who sells it, asked for a veto, and Legislator Ken Zalewski, a Democrat who voted no, put it bluntly: “Why would we want to ban something that’s helping so many people? That defies logic.” Many users say the plain leaf helps them manage pain or stay off opioids, and that the problem is the concentrated 7-OH products, not the plant. The law makes no such distinction.

What we don’t know yet

Two things the coverage did not settle. First, the effective date. County local laws generally take effect when they are filed with the Secretary of State, and the county has not published that date or said whether retailers get time to clear shelves. Second, how enforcement will work in practice: whether the Health Department will send letters to known sellers first or simply begin inspecting. The county has not posted the signed law, and we will update this piece when it does. Store owners with product on hand should call the Rensselaer County Health Department before assuming they have a grace period.

Why it matters here

The stores affected are the ones we all use: the convenience stores and smoke shops along Route 40 through Speigletown, Melrose and the village, and up and down Second Avenue in Lansingburgh. For shoppers it means a product some people rely on disappears from local shelves; the ban does not reach online sales or neighboring Saratoga County’s stores, at least until that county acts. For anyone who has been using kratom daily, stopping abruptly can bring withdrawal; a primary care provider or St. Peter’s Addiction Recovery Center can help with a plan.

Sources: WAMC’s report on the September 9 vote; CBS6’s coverage of the September 24 public hearing and the law’s terms; WNYT on the signing; the Times Union on the bill’s introduction. Quotes are as published by those outlets. The county had not posted the signed law or an effective date as of October 3.