The Iowa City City Council passed a second consideration for a ban on Kratom at their meeting Tuesday night. The councilors passed the consideration in a split 4-3 vote.

Kratom is an herbal drug that creates opioid-like effects, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. It is mainly used to self-treat pain, anxiety, depression, opioid use disorder, and opioid withdrawal. However, in high doses it can cause psychosis and hallucinations.

Over a dozen people spoke in the council chambers, some saying the drug has benefits for people, while others said it is a dangerous and addictive substance.

Councilor Andrew Dunn proposed the Kratom ban in Iowa City because he was concerned about the lack of regulations on the substance. Recently, Dunn has changed his stance to prefer regulations on the substance as opposed to an outright ban.

After talking with community members, Dunn sees a purpose for the substance. Dunn’s fellow council member, Laura Bergus, followed suit.

“I agree from a harm reduction standpoint. State legislature makes sense to be an economic leader, but we are not experts on this, and I don’t think the science is clear, so I am not going to be supporting the ban,” Bergus said.

Councilor Josh Moe voted in favor of the ban for the sake of public safety. Until there is state regulation and any indication that Kratom is beneficial to sell, Moe is against supporting the presence of it in the city.

Mayor Bruce Teague expressed that this ban is not an easy topic to decide on, but he ultimately decided to vote for the ban, with public safety also being the deciding factor in his decision.

“I have to say that since this has been a controversial thing, which I do not know a lot about. It is really sweeping the nation. There are children, and there are people consuming this, and there are bad actors out there, and I know we can’t control all of that,” Teague said.

Moe said the first vote regarding the Kratom ban resulted in identity theft emails that were directed at members of the council in an attempt to sway votes in one way or the other.

According to the Mayo Clinic, Kratom could start as a tool to curb opioid withdrawal, but if used enough over time, Kratom itself could lead to cravings and withdrawals from the substance.

A virtual speaker from Muskegon, Michigan, Susan Eppard, tuned in to speak at Tuesday’s meeting to talk about the loss of her son Matthew.

“Matthew died from using Kratom powder, which is the least potent form of the substance available in the United States. Kratom caused him to have a seizure, go into cardiac arrest and die,” Eppard said.

Eppard is a member of a Kratom danger awareness group and urged the council to vote in favor of the ban.

“I cannot say whether it is bad or good because I do not have that expertise. It could mean bad things for the people of the city which is why I will not go with it,” Mayor Pro Tem Mazahir Salih said.

The third and final consideration will be heard at the council’s Nov. 4 meeting.