The Blackfeet Tribal Business Council has banned the sale, use and possession of kratom, an unregulated plant-derived substance that can have addictive properties from the tribe’s reservation in north-central Montana.

The move, enacted via a Sept. 12 resolution, will criminally penalize retailers selling kratom products, which aren’t currently regulated at the state or federal level. Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services did not immediately respond to a question about the potential penalties for retailers.

Tribal Council member Lyle Rutherford said the council has not yet established criminal penalties for possessing kratom because the body must first “figure out a mechanism to enforce it.”

“We need to make sure we have enough law enforcement to do it,” he said. “We’re supposed to have a d

See Full Page