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Read. Follow. Verify.Louisiana House Bill 778 Regulates Synthetic Kratom and Sets Penalties for Possession and Distribution
Last action · May 19, 2026: Involuntarily deferred in committee.Sponsor: Beryl Amedée
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What This Bill Proposed
House Bill 778 prohibits the unauthorized possession, production, and distribution of synthetic kratom, establishing criminal penalties and fines for violations. The measure classifies , , and under Schedule I controlled substances and places strict limits on alkaloid and residual solvent levels in kratom products.
Manufacturers, distributors, and individuals handling kratom products face new criminal liability, varying fines up to $50,000, and mandatory prison terms depending on the aggregate weight and synthetic nature of the substance.
- Kratom is a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia whose leaves contain compounds with opioid receptor activity. context
- Beryl Amedee serves as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives representing District 51. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
manufacturers of kratom products
Manufacturers face new criminal liability, product formulation restrictions based on alkaloid and solvent levels, and mandatory fines or imprisonment for unauthorized production.
individuals possessing kratom
Individuals possessing natural or synthetic kratom are subject to specific weight-based fines, misdemeanor convictions, or felony imprisonment with or without hard labor.
Key Facts
- Classifies 7-hydroxymitragynine, mitragynine, and tianeptine under Schedule I miscellaneous controlled substances.
- Bans the knowing production, manufacture, distribution, dispensing, or possession with intent to distribute of kratom.
- Sets fines up to $50,000 and imprisonment with or without hard labor for one to three years for manufacturing or distributing less than five hundred grams of kratom.
- Sets fines up to $50,000 and imprisonment with or without hard labor for one to five years for manufacturing or distributing five hundred grams or more of kratom.
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- Establishes a fine of not more than $100 for possessing twenty grams or less of kratom.
- Establishes a fine of not more than $500 and parish jail imprisonment for not more than six months for a first conviction of possessing more than twenty grams of kratom.
- Establishes a fine of not more than $1,000 and parish jail imprisonment for not more than six months for second or subsequent convictions of possessing more than twenty grams of kratom.
- Prohibits products with a 7-hydroxymitragynine alkaloid fraction greater than two percent of total alkaloids or exceeding one milligram per single serving.
- Prohibits natural mitragynine extracted with solvents resulting in residual levels higher than allowed in U.S. Pharmacopeia 467 or serving sizes greater than eighty milligrams.
- Imposes a $500 fine for unlawful possession of two grams or less of a synthesized kratom product.
- Imposes a fine of at least $2,000 and imprisonment for one to five years with or without hard labor for possessing more than two grams, cultivating, producing, or distributing synthesized kratom.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the penalty for possessing two grams or less of synthesized kratom?
How is kratom defined in the proposed law?
What are the restrictions on 7-hydroxymitragynine in products?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
5 actions- May 19, 2026HouseInvoluntarily deferred in committee.
- Mar 9, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.
- Feb 27, 2026HousePrefiled.
- Feb 27, 2026HouseCommitteeUnder the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.
- Feb 27, 2026HouseFirst appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/27/2026.
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Expansion of Controlled Substance Schedules
The bill moves from a general prohibition framework to specifying exact chemical thresholds, residual solvent standards, and differentiated penalties for natural versus synthetic kratom derivatives.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.la.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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