Alameda County to Target Smoke Shop Drugs
County health officials eye a ban on retail sales of nitrous oxide, natural and synthetic versions of kratom, unregulated smoke shop staples growing in popularity with teenager and young adults
☕️MORNING BUZZ
Vol. VI, No. 1,333
—Alameda County supervisors will consider two ordinances Monday aimed at removing increasingly popular intoxicants from smoke shops and other retailers in unincorporated communities, expanding a growing local effort to crack down on unregulated products marketed to young people.
The Board of Supervisors’ Health Committee will review proposals to prohibit the retail sale of nitrous oxide and kratom and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) products.
Violators would face administrative fines ranging from $250 to $1,000, with enforcement handled through routine inspections of tobacco retailers and cannabis dispensaries.
—The proposal follow a similar move by the Alameda City Council, which unanimously approved a nitrous oxide sales ban in May, making Alameda one of the first jurisdictions in the county to restrict the recreational sale of the product.
Nitrous oxide, commonly known as “whippets,” has become increasingly available in smoke shops and convenience stores. County officials say colorful packaging and sweet flavors have fueled misuse among teens and young adults.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns that inhaling nitrous oxide can cause nerve damage, paralysis, brain and spinal cord injuries, vitamin B12 deficiency, loss of consciousness, and even death.
The proposed ordinance exempts legitimate medical, dental, food service, wholesale, pharmacy, and automotive uses.
—Supervisors will also consider banning the sale of kratom and 7-OH, products that have become increasingly common on convenience store and smoke shop shelves.
Often referred to as “gas station heroin,” kratom acts as a stimulant in low doses and an opioid at higher doses. County staff warn that concentrated 7-OH products derived from synthetic kratom pose an even greater overdose risk.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency took steps to label 7-OH products in the same category as herion and LSD.
If ultimately approved by the Board of Supervisors, both ordinances would apply only in unincorporated Alameda County.
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