COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine reiterated his call for a statewide ban on kratom on Thursday, after the federal government asked for a pause on a similar request he made in August .

DeWine is is asking the Ohio Board of Pharmacy to immediately designate all synthetic forms of kratom as illegal and begin the rulemaking process to designate the drug in its natural form, which entails hearings and other steps before a decision is made.

“In reviewing this issue over the past few weeks, national experts, including the FDA, agree that synthetic kratom compounds should be scheduled as illegal,” the governor said in a press release. “However, while there is a clear path to take action on synthetic kratom, I still have deep concerns about natural kratom, given the harms, including fatal

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