Mayor Nic Farley asked Salem City Attorney Matt Wilzbach on Monday to draft an ordinance banning kratom sales at city convenience and tobacco stores.
Police Chief Tyler Rose said kratom use has grown over the past six months to a year, with local shops increasingly stocking packaged over-the-counter products and officers responding to overdose calls resembling heroin cases.
Farley said he has received complaints since January and has been working internally and with area legislators on how to curb the substance.
Wilzbach said other cities have moved on their own as state and federal efforts to ban kratom have stalled, though he expects it will eventually be treated as a controlled substance.