Mid Rivers Newsmagazine 5-22-19

18 I NEWS I
May 22, 2019
MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE
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By BRIAN E. BIRDNOW
In a spirited and unusually well-attended
meeting on Monday, May 13, the St.
Charles County Council took up the plan
championed by County Executive Steve
Ehlmann to ban the sale, possession and
use of Kratom, an increasingly popular
herbal supplement that has drawn warnings
from federal regulatory agencies, including
the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
Kratom, generally taken from the leaves
of a Southeast Asian tropical tree, is most
often sold in America as a pill or powder,
and sprinkled in hot drinks like tea. It is
marketed as a pain reliever or energy
supplement; however, regulatory agencies
warn that the substance may be unsafe and
even addictive. At its May 13 meeting, the
council took a first step toward acting on
this issue by gathering information and
allowing public comment on a proposal to
ban Kratom and related substances.
The council first heard from Charles
Haddow, a public policy expert with the
American Kratom Association. Haddow
gave a detailed analysis on Kratom, insisting
that it is not an opioid nor is it addictive.
He answered council members’ questions in
a thorough fashion and stated that he preferred
pending state legislation on this issue
to independent action at the county level.
At the state level, Rep. Phil Christofanelli
[R–105] introduced a truth-in-labeling bill
last session that would create new provisions
related to the sale of Kratom and
would ban the sale to anyone under age
from the state – we are anticipating in possibly
June when they put out the applications
– we’ll take another look at our code
in general … but I don’t know that we’re
going to need a whole lot of changes,”
Powers said.
Other communities are taking a wait and
see approach before adjusting their local
zoning rules.
“The Board of Aldermen have not yet
taken up the issues regarding medical marijuana,”
Dardenne Prairie Mayor David
Zuker said.
Cottleville has a bit of a history on the
issue of medical marijuana. Back in July
2009, the city council unanimously passed
a resolution in support of legalizing medical
marijuana. Then mayor Don Yarber
was a vocal proponent for the legalization
effort. At the time, he explained that
his support was based on the benefits he
witnessed as his wife battled cancer in the
mid-1990s. During interviews in the mid-
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County considers Kratom ban
MEDICAL MARIJUANA, from page 14
18. At press time, the Committee on Rules
- Legislative Oversight had voted 7-0 to
approve the bill for passage and send it
back to the full House for action; however,
time ran out for full passage to take place.
Five speakers gave presentations during
the public comment portion of the county’s
meeting, all arguing against the proposed
ban. A sixth speaker conceded her allotted
time, saying that the previous speaker had
summed up her own argument, making it
unnecessary. The unusually large crowd of
spectators seemed to support the speakers
and their general opposition to the proposed
ban.
When it came time to vote on the measure,
council member Joe Cronin [District
1] announced that he did not like the way
in which the bill had been introduced, was
being quickly debated and was destined for
quick action. He announced that he was
leaving the meeting, and did so. Cronin’s
absence left the council without a quorum,
thus, they could not conduct any further
business.
The issue, still completely unresolved,
will be the subject of a council work session
at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 28, with
the meeting being scheduled for a Tuesday
due to the Memorial Day holiday on May
27. The council is expected to hear from
spokespeople on both sides of the issue,
and says it will try to answer public questions
about the proposal. The regular council
meeting will follow, with a vote on the
proposal likely.
Both meetings are open to the public.
2000s he described medical marijuana as a
“compassionate drug” that helped patients
through chemotherapy.
“We had a very progressive board of
aldermen [in 2009],” Yarber said recently.
“[Passing medical marijuana legislation]
finally happened for the state of Missouri;
I didn’t know if it ever would.”
Because of his advocacy, Yaber became
a bit of a folk hero for some in the area and
was dubbed “Mayor-juana” by one local
media outlet.
Today, he said he has a sense of validation
that all those years of advocacy
weren’t wasted.
“We put a lot of work into it,” Yarber said.
“I’m glad that finally people are more educated
about the positive uses of [medical
marijuana].”
As to which municipalities may land
medical marijuana related business is anyone’s
guess at this point. Even Cottleville’s
former mayor isn’t willing to wager a bet.
“It’s beyond me at this point,” Yarber said.
“My work is done.”