Concentrated kratom products would be banned in Utah starting next year under a bill that passed the Legislature — but not before one Representative attempted to replace it with a substitute that would put The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Word of Wisdom into law.

Rep. Matt McPherson proposed replacing the kratom restrictions with the church’s health code, which instructs members to abstain from alcohol, tobacco, coffee and tea.

The West Valley City Republican said, while smirking, that doing so would “really just impart the wisdom of the Legislature on the part of the masses on the street that don’t have the same moral clarity that we do.”

The House sponsor of the ban, Rep. Katy Hall, R-South Ogden, thanked McPherson for his “light-hearted” approach, but said there is nothing humorous about watching people dealing with withdrawal from opioids or the 200 Utahns who have died from kratom overdoses since 2018.

The House rejected McPherson’s attempt to derail the kratom bill and passed it 63-10. After a Senate concurrence Wednesday afternoon, the bill now goes to the governor for his consideration.

SB45, sponsored by Senate Majority Whip Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, originally sought to completely eliminate the sale of kratom, prompting weeks of contentious debate on Capitol Hill.

As a compromise, the bill now would only ban the sale of concentrated kratom extracts.

“Whole-leaf” kratom products would still be allowed. Processors and retailers would have to register with the state Department of Agriculture and Food; sale of the products would be limited to specialty shops, banning gas station sales; and customers would have to be at least 21 years old to purchase it.

The new restrictions, if signed by the governor, take effect March 6, 2027.

Rep. Jon Hawkins, R-Pleasant Grove, proposed allowing manufaturers to continue making kratom products for sale in other states, saying the ban would hurt the 49 manufacturers of kratom products in Utah and jeopardize tens of thousands of jobs and half a billion dollars a year in revenues.

“I’m mindful of what kratom does and I’m mindful of the impact it has on individuals’ lives,” he said, but warned that, “it’s businesses, it’s families, it’s taxpayers we’re putting under this restriction if we don’t pass this amendment.”

Rep. Norm Thurston, R-Provo, was unswayed, saying the bill was already a compromise, the result of considerable “give-and-take.”

“[Hawkins’ amendment] is too much give for not enough take,” Thurston said. “We would rather forgo the revenue. Those are not good jobs. This is not something we want in our state.”

The amendment failed.

Kratom is a plant extracted from an evergreen tree indigenous to Southeast Asia. For centuries, the leaves have been ground and often made into tea. The plant is not an opioid, but works similarly to opioids by acting on the same receptors.

During committee hearings, dozens of people — both Utahns and out-of-state kratom users who spoke via Zoom — said the product has been life-changing, helping them address chronic pain and addiction issues. Others testified that the product was as dangerous as opioids, sharing stories of loved ones addicted to kratom or who died from kratom overdoses.

The product is sometimes made into drinks and gelatin gummies, but many proponents called for lawmakers to at least protect pure leaf kratom.

Prior to 2017, kratom-related deaths in Utah were rare, with fewer than five a year, according to data from the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner. But deaths began to rise in 2018, when 16 people died. Then, between 2018 and 2025, more than 200 Utahns died from kratom-related drug overdoses and more than 100 in the last three years alone (although the final figures for 2025 are not available).

Overwhelmingly, those deaths are accidental and involve at least one other substance, according to the medical examiner’s office.

“This is a business that has addicted and killed people,” McKell told journalists Wednesday. “To me, it’s gas station heroin, and I don’t want to be part of it as a state, and I don’t think any of us should be part of that.”

Ryan Niddel, the CEO of kratom company Diversified Botanics, said he thought the bill’s amendments were a positive step.

“[It is] common sense, forward-thinking, business-first legislation, while also protecting consumers at large,” Niddel wrote in a text message. “I, however, also do believe that they are slightly missing the bigger picture.”

Instead, Niddel said he wishes lawmakers would consider the reasonable uses of extracts and address standard serving sizes for consumers, but a straight ban has been the heart of the conversation throughout the session.

“Everybody,” he said, “is dug in so deep.”

Tribune reporter Emily Anderson Stern contributed to this story.