Hillsborough County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday, Nov. 10, to ban concentrated kratom products sold at convenience stores and smoke shops countywide. The ban covers products containing 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) and other concentrated kratom-derived chemicals found in gummies, pills and energy drinks, including in Apollo Beach and Ruskin.

The vote amends the county's Synthetic Drug Ordinance. Sellers now face misdemeanor charges punishable by up to a $500 fine, up to 60 days in jail, or both, according to the ordinance amendment.

The ban does not cover whole-leaf kratom, including raw or dried leaves used in teas. Businesses with a retail food permit that sell any form of kratom must now post signs warning that the product may cause serious health effects.

More than 50 people spoke at the public hearing, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Stephanie Pratt held up a photo of her daughter Kylee and told commissioners that on one September night, Kylee bought a synthetic kratom mint chocolate chip pill at a smoke shop. About 20 minutes after taking half the pill, Pratt said, Kylee had trouble breathing. She stumbled into her home and later went to the hospital.

Kylee died two days later on Sept. 6. She was 19.

"Please take this into consideration for our daughter," Pratt said in tears, according to the Times.

The Hillsborough County Medical Examiner Department reported that mitragynine intoxication contributed to 34 deaths in the county in the past two years, according to the agenda backup document.

Commissioner Joshua Wostal proposed the ordinance change in June, citing research suggesting chemically altered kratom is highly addictive. The commission approved the draft amendment for a public hearing on Oct. 21.

Not everyone supported the ban. About a dozen speakers said natural kratom products helped them in their daily lives, and some said the products helped them manage chronic pain, the Times reported. Tyler Daughtry told commissioners kratom helped him stop using some harder drugs.

The hearing grew heated. Security escorted Daughtry and another person out of the meeting after they exchanged profanities, the Times reported. Chairperson Ken Hagan later asked security to remove a third person.

Matthew Lowe, executive director of the Global Kratom Coalition, told commissioners he supported the ban on synthetics but said natural kratom products should be regulated.

Commissioner Donna Cameron Cepeda, who voted for the amendment, said she would like to see a total ban on kratom sales. County Attorney Julia Mandell said the county cannot do that without a separate public notice process because natural kratom does not fall under the synthetic drug ordinance.

The state's emergency rule classifying concentrated 7-OH as a Schedule I substance expires June 30, 2027, unless the Florida Legislature makes it permanent. The county ordinance takes effect once filed with the Florida Department of State.