San Luis Obispo County will use $167,000 from opioid settlement proceeds to expand public‑health efforts against kratom use after officials linked the substance to several local overdose deaths. The move, approved by the County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 1, aims to close enforcement gaps and boost prevention at a time when local treatment providers are seeing more cases tied to kratom and its concentrated derivative.
The county plans to hire an additional program coordinator within its Public Health Department to focus on reducing dependence on kratom and related compounds. That position, plus extra supplies and services, will be supported by the newly allocated funds.
Public health leaders point to nine kratom‑related overdose deaths in San Luis Obispo County over the last five years as the impetus for the funding. At the same time, drug‑treatment centers in the county report roughly a 40% increase in intakes for withdrawal tied to kratom and the potent form known as 7‑OH.
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What public officials say
County prevention staff told the board that many people began using kratom believing it was a benign, natural stimulant or energy supplement and later developed dependence. Local officials also note an uptick in 911 calls for overdoses where kratom or 7‑OH were involved.
Public health presentations to the board in June emphasized that 7‑OH can be far stronger than raw kratom—in some laboratory estimates it can exceed morphine’s potency—and that small amounts of this concentrated compound have been found in products sold as kratom.
- Funding uses: salary for a new program coordinator, prevention services, supplies and outreach.
- Enforcement: county authority to conduct retailer inspections and issue violations under a proposed local ordinance.
- Education: campus and community Narcan training and student outreach through Campus Health & Wellbeing.
Local patterns and campus data
On‑campus survey data show about 1% of Cal Poly students reported kratom use each year from 2023 to 2025 — a rate higher than the roughly 0.38% national average reported in peer‑reviewed research on college populations. Journaled toxicology reviews and CDC data indicate that most kratom‑linked fatalities involve multiple substances; nationally, about 79% of kratom‑related deaths included other drugs.
County officials have stressed the danger of combining kratom with alcohol, marijuana or prescription medications — a pattern seen in the local fatality reports presented to the board.
Retail availability and state action
Field checks around the Cal Poly campus in early September found kratom products still available at several smoke shops. Investigations by state authorities, however, indicate widespread compliance among retailers holding Alcoholic Beverage Control licenses: state officials announced on Sept. 2 that roughly 97.8% of licensed outlets were not selling kratom or 7‑OH products.
Despite the state’s labeling of kratom and 7‑OH products as “adulterated,” county staff say enforcement remains challenging because retail outlets are diverse and a local ordinance is needed to give county public‑health officials explicit inspection powers.
With the board’s funding approval, public health leaders say they will pursue a local regulatory framework that would allow inspectors to enter retailers, check inventory and issue violations when kratom products are being sold in contravention of state guidance.
Prevention and response on campus
Campus Health & Wellbeing plans to step up education for students about product ingredients and overdose response. The campus already offers weekly Narcan trainings, and officials say they will include information about recognizing and responding to kratom‑related overdoses.
“Students should understand what’s actually in these products and the risks when substances are combined,” a campus communications representative said in an email, noting that staff are available to answer questions about 7‑OH and other substances of concern.
Why this matters now
Public‑health officials view the effort as part of a broader response to evolving opioid‑related threats: concentrated derivatives like 7‑OH change the risk profile of an herbal product that many users perceive as safe. The county’s funding decision signals an effort to pair enforcement with education and clinical support before more overdoses occur.
