Nick Scribner of Ballston Spa died a year ago after using kratom products marketed as a natural herbal remedy. He was 27.

His mother, Cari Scribner, was lauded by the governor for being a “fierce advocate” of the two bills she signed into law on Dec. 22.

One law prohibits the sale of kratom products to anyone younger than 21. The other bill requires that any kratom product being manufactured, distributed, or sold in New York state include a consumer warning label.

Kratom is a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia where its leaves have a long history of use. Its  leaves are crushed and then smoked, brewed as tea, or placed into gel capsules.

In the United States, the abuse of kratom has increased markedly in recent years, according to the federal Drug Enforcement Agency.

“At low doses, kratom produces stimulant effects with users reporting increased alertness, physical energy, and talkativeness,” the DEA says. “At high doses, users experience sedative effects. Kratom consumption can lead to addiction.”

Kratom is not controlled under the federal Controlled Substances Act. The DEA has listed it as a Drug and Chemical of Concern and says kratom can cause nausea, itching, sweating, dry mouth, constipation, increased urination, tachycardia, vomiting, drowsiness, and loss of appetite as well as psychosis. Users of kratom have also experienced anorexia, weight loss, insomnia, hepatotoxicity, seizure, and hallucinations, the DEA says.

The Food and Drug Administration has not approved kratom for any medical use.

Kratom, which is sold online and in stores, is often used to self-treat conditions such as pain, coughing, diarrhea, anxiety and depression, opioid use disorder, and opioid withdrawal, the FDA says.

An estimated 1.7 million Americans aged 12 and older used kratom in 2021, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Mary Beth Walsh, a Republican assemblywoman from Ballston, said she was not aware of the dangers of kratom until she spoke with Cari Scribner.

She worked on the legislation with Democratic Assemblyman Phil Steck, who chairs the Assembly Committee on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse.

“I believe this legislation would have been even stronger if it had also required manufacturers to clearly list the potential side effects of kratom in large, prominent font,” Steck said in a statement. “Those provisions were included in the original bill and would have further strengthened consumer protections.

“That said, the Governor did strengthen the final legislation by requiring manufacturers to list ingredients on their labels and include a warning that kratom may be addictive, an important step that will help protect New Yorkers from the sometimes deadly consequences of these products.”

Other sponsors include Democratic Assemblyman John McDonald, and Democratic senators Patricia Fahy and James Skoufis.

At an Albany press conference on Monday before signing the bill, Governor Kathy Hochul thanked Cari Scribner for “being the champion that this cause needed.” 

Hochul characterized common thinking on kratom this way: “It’s natural, grows in the wild, it’s not made in a lab, it must be safe.”

She went on to say almost 1 percent of adolescents in the United States — “that’s 2 million” — have reported using kratom in the past year. In New York state alone, Hochul said, overdose of kratom was listed as the cause of death for 100 people.

Nick Scribner died in November 2024 from “respiratory arrest caused by kratom intoxication,” Hochul said.

“I believe that New York consumers should know what they're buying, what they’re ingesting,” Hochul said. “Their families should know. And they deserve to have clear warnings about the psychiatric, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and respiratory risk associated with it.”

Hochul stressed New York does not have an “outright ban”; rather, the new legislation aligns with how the state regulates tobacco and vaping products, cannabis, and alcohol. 

There is now a $500 fine for selling or distributing kratom to anyone younger than 21. And labels “will disclose the product ingredients and prominently warn consumers about the known risks, and that kratom is not approved by the FDA,” said Hochul.