Kentucky Kratom Alert: HB 757 Kratom Ban Sent to Governor

Kentucky Kratom Emergency Update: Ban Language Added to HB 757 and Sent to the Governor

Kentucky kratom consumers, businesses, and advocates need to be aware of a major and urgent legislative development.

During the late hours of April 1, 2026, ban language affecting kratom was inserted into House Bill 757, a large revenue and spending-related bill that has now been sent to Governor Andy Beshear for consideration.

Kentucky HB 757 is a massive, multi-hundred-page measure covering a wide range of tax, revenue, and administrative provisions — the type of legislation where last-minute amendments can sometimes be difficult for the public to track and amendments added at the last minute.

The amended bill language, which was added by the Senate includes kratom-related provisions which appear on:

• Page 342, lines 16–27
• Page 343, lines 1–14

These provisions would:

• repeal the Kentucky Kratom Consumer Protection Act (KCPA)
• prohibit the sale and distribution of kratom in the state
• create a $5,000 civil penalty
• increase to $10,000 for subsequent violations

This would be a dramatic shift from Kentucky’s current framework which regulates kratom and turn into a full on ban of kratom in the Commonwealth.

What This Means for Kentucky

Kentucky currently operates under the Kratom Consumer Protection Act (KCPA), which went into effect in 2024 and established age restrictions, product standards, and consumer protections for lawful kratom sales.

If these new provisions banning kratom remain in HB 757 and Governor Beshear signs the current bill, the established KCPA framework would be dismantled and replaced with outright prohibition of kratom.

For consumers, this means:

• loss of in-state access to kratom
• closure for retailers in Kentucky
• disruption of regulated product standards
• potential shift to unregulated online / out-of-state purchasing

This is why immediate public outreach is critical.

Important Response From the Governor’s Office

We have already received an important reply from the Governor’s Office regarding concerns over this legislation.

The Governor’s office confirmed:

“This administration is also aware of the portions of this bill that would ban Kratom.”

This is important because it confirms the issue is already on their radar.

However, the response also included a very important reality check:

“If the Governor vetoes this bill, or any portion of this bill (line items) it will return to the General Assembly and, with the super majority in place, a veto is likely to be overturned.”

This means that contacting only the Governor is not enough.

Because Kentucky has a legislative supermajority, there is a significant possibility that lawmakers could override a veto.

That makes outreach to state legislators equally important — and possibly even more important right now.

What You Need to Do Right Now

1) Contact Governor Beshear Immediately

Request that the Governor:

• line-item veto the kratom ban provisions
• preserve the KCPA
• reject prohibition language inserted into HB 757

Contact form: Contact Governor Beshear

Suggested message:
Please line-item veto the kratom prohibition provisions added to HB 757 and preserve Kentucky’s existing consumer protection framework and regulations.

Main Line: (502) 564-2611

2) Contact State Senators and State Representatives

This is just as important as contacting the Governor.

As the Governor’s office stated, any veto may be challenged by the General Assembly.

That means legislators also need to hear immediately that Kentuckians oppose the repeal of the KCPA via the amendment in HB 757.

Keep It Simple

Your message does not need to be long. A short, respectful message is effective. Explain why you are against the ban of kratom and how Kentucky should enforce their current regulations already in place which protect consumers by allowing access to natural kratom while restricting  dangerous synthetic products like 7-OH with the already in place limits.

Contact all lawmakers. The more pressure on them the better.

Legislative message line: (800) 372-7181

Kentucky Senators

You can copy all emails and past them into the BCC (blind carbon copy) recipient portion of your email. This will allow you to send one email to reach every Senator. To avoid bounce backs or your email going to spam, it would be helpful to break these up into two emails.

Jason.Howell@kylegislature.gov, Danny.Carroll@kylegislature.gov, craig.richardson@kylegislature.gov,
Robby.Mills@kylegislature.gov, Stephen.Meredith@kylegislature.gov, lindsey.tichenor@kylegislature.gov,
aaron.reed@kylegislature.gov, Gary.Boswell@kylegislature.gov, David.Givens@kylegislature.gov,
matthew.deneen@kylegislature.gov, steve.rawlings@kylegislature.gov, amanda.maysbledsoe@kylegislature.gov,
Reginald.Thomas@kylegislature.gov, Jimmy.Higdon@kylegislature.gov, Rick.Girdler@kylegislature.gov,
Max.Wise@kylegislature.gov, matt.nunn@kylegislature.gov, Robin.Webb@kylegislature.gov,
Cassie.ChambersArmstrong@kylegislature.gov, gex.williams@kylegislature.gov,
Brandon.Storm@kylegislature.gov, Donald.Douglas@kylegislature.gov, Chris.McDaniel@kylegislature.gov,
shelley.funkefrommeyer@kylegislature.gov, Robert.Stivers@kylegislature.gov,
Karen.Berg@kylegislature.gov, Steve.West@kylegislature.gov, greg.elkins@kylegislature.gov,
scott.madon@kylegislature.gov, Brandon.Smith@kylegislature.gov, Phillip.Wheeler@kylegislature.gov,
Mike.Wilson@kylegislature.gov, Gerald.Neal@kylegislature.gov, Jared.Carpenter@kylegislature.gov,
keturah.herron@kylegislature.gov, Julie.Adams@kylegislature.gov, Gary.Clemons@kylegislature.gov,
Mike.Nemes@kylegislature.gov

Kentucky House Representatives

You can copy all emails and past them into the BCC (blind carbon copy) recipient portion of your email. This will allow you to send one email to reach every Representative. To avoid bounce backs or your email going to spam, it would be helpful to break these up into groups and send a few emails.

chad.aull@kylegislature.gov, Shane.Baker@kylegislature.gov, kim.banta@kylegislature.gov,
jared.bauman@kylegislature.gov, ryan.bivens@kylegislature.gov, John.Blanton@kylegislature.gov,
Tina.Bojanowski@kylegislature.gov, Adam.Bowling@kylegislature.gov, Josh.Branscum@kylegislature.gov,
steve.bratcher@kylegislature.gov, Josh.Bray@kylegislature.gov, Randy.Bridges@kylegislature.gov,
George.Brown@kylegislature.gov, lindsey.burke@kylegislature.gov, emily.callaway@kylegislature.gov,
adrielle.camuel@kylegislature.gov, beverly.chesterburton@kylegislature.gov,
mike.clines@kylegislature.gov, Jennifer.Decker@kylegislature.gov, Robert.Duvall@kylegislature.gov,
Jonathan.Dixon@kylegislature.gov, myron.dossett@kylegislature.gov, Ryan.Dotson@kylegislature.gov,
Stephanie.Dietz@kylegislature.gov, greg.elkins@kylegislature.gov, Daniel.Elliott@kylegislature.gov,
Joseph.Fischer@kylegislature.gov, Ken.Fleming@kylegislature.gov, Patrick.Flannery@kylegislature.gov,
Daniel.Fister@kylegislature.gov, Chris.Freeland@kylegislature.gov, Kelly.Flood@kylegislature.gov,
Chris.Fugate@kylegislature.gov, Al.Gentry@kylegislature.gov, Jim.Gooch@kylegislature.gov,
Deanna.Gordon@kylegislature.gov, peyton.griffee@kylegislature.gov, daniel.grossberg@kylegislature.gov,
vanessa.grossl@kylegislature.gov, David.Hale@kylegislature.gov, tony.hampton@kylegislature.gov,
erika.hancock@kylegislature.gov, Mark.Hart@kylegislature.gov, Samara.Heavrin@kylegislature.gov,
john.hodgson@kylegislature.gov, kim.holloway@kylegislature.gov, Thomas.Huff@kylegislature.gov,
MaryBeth.Imes@kylegislature.gov, kevin.jackson@kylegislature.gov, DJ.Johnson@kylegislature.gov,
Kim.King@kylegislature.gov, Matthew.Koch@kylegislature.gov, Nima.Kulkarni@kylegislature.gov,
William.Lawrence@kylegislature.gov, matt.lehman@kylegislature.gov, Scott.Lewis@kylegislature.gov,
chris.lewis@kylegislature.gov, Derek.Lewis@kylegislature.gov, Matt.Lockett@kylegislature.gov,
Savannah.Maddox@kylegislature.gov, marylou.marzian@kylegislature.gov, candy.massaroni@kylegislature.gov,
Bobby.McCool@kylegislature.gov, Shawn.McPherson@kylegislature.gov, David.Meade@kylegislature.gov,
Michael.Meredith@kylegislature.gov, Suzanne.Miles@kylegislature.gov, jerry.miller@kylegislature.gov,
Patti.Minter@kylegislature.gov, dj.johnson@kylegislature.gov, David.Osborne@kylegislature.gov,
RuthAnn.Palumbo@kylegislature.gov, jason.nemes@kylegislature.gov, Amy.Neighbors@kylegislature.gov,
David.Osborne@kylegislature.gov, RuthAnn.Palumbo@kylegislature.gov, Phillip.Pratt@kylegislature.gov,
Felicia.Rabourn@kylegislature.gov, Josette.Upton@kylegislature.gov, Brandon.Reed@kylegislature.gov,
rachel.roberts@kylegislature.gov, Steven.Rudy@kylegislature.gov, Steven.Doan@kylegislature.gov,
Sal.Santoro@kylegislature.gov, Scott.Sharp@kylegislature.gov, Steve.Riley@kylegislature.gov,
Tom.Smith@kylegislature.gov, sarah.stalker@kylegislature.gov, Pamela.Stevenson@kylegislature.gov,
Ashley.TackettLaferty@kylegislature.gov, Nancy.Tate@kylegislature.gov, Walker.Thomas@kylegislature.gov,
Killian.Timoney@kylegislature.gov, Timmy.Truett@kylegislature.gov, Ken.Upchurch@kylegislature.gov,
Bill.Wesley@kylegislature.gov, Richard.White@kylegislature.gov, wade.white@kylegislature.gov,
Buddy.Wheatley@kylegislature.gov, Susan.Westrom@kylegislature.gov

Final Thoughts

This situation is moving quickly.

The bill is already on the Governor’s desk, and decisions could happen at any time.

Even with the possibility of a veto override, public input still plays a role at every step—both with the Governor and with legislators who may be asked to vote again.

Now is the time to speak up because our voice matters right now. Personal emails and calls from Kentucky residents and consumers can make a difference.