S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    294
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 6, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. STECK -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Health
 
 AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to the prohibition of
   the sale of kratom to individuals under the age of twenty-one

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The  article heading of article 13-F of the public health
 law, as amended by chapter 448 of the laws of 2012, is amended  to  read
 as follows:
            REGULATION OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS, HERBAL CIGARETTES,
              KRATOM AND SMOKING PARAPHERNALIA; DISTRIBUTION
                                 TO MINORS
   §  2.  Section 1399-aa of the public health law is amended by adding a
 new subdivision 19 to read as follows:
   19. "KRATOM" MEANS ANY PART OF THE PLANT MITRAGYNA  SPECIOSA,  WHETHER
 GROWING  OR  NOT,  AND  ANY  COMPOUND,  MANUFACTURE,  SALT,  DERIVATIVE,
 MIXTURE, OR PREPARATION OF SUCH PLANT.
   § 3. Article 13-F of the public health law is amended by adding a  new
 section 1399-mmm to read as follows:
   §  1399-MMM.  SALE  OF KRATOM PROHIBITED. 1. NO PERSON SHALL KNOWINGLY
 SELL OR PROVIDE KRATOM TO ANY OTHER PERSON  UNDER  TWENTY-ONE  YEARS  OF
 AGE. ANY PERSON WHO VIOLATES THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SUBDIVISION SHALL BE
 SUBJECT TO A CIVIL PENALTY OF NOT MORE THAN FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS.
   2.(A)  ANY PERSON OPERATING A PLACE OF BUSINESS WHEREIN KRATOM IS SOLD
 OR OFFERED FOR SALE IS PROHIBITED FROM SELLING SUCH KRATOM  TO  INDIVID-
 UALS  UNDER  TWENTY-ONE  YEARS  OF  AGE, AND SHALL POST IN A CONSPICUOUS
 PLACE A SIGN UPON WHICH THERE SHALL BE IMPRINTED  THE  FOLLOWING  STATE-
 MENT,  "SALE  OF  KRATOM  TO  PERSONS  UNDER  TWENTY-ONE YEARS OF AGE IS
 PROHIBITED BY LAW".  SUCH SIGN SHALL BE PRINTED ON A WHITE CARD  IN  RED
 LETTERS AT LEAST ONE-HALF INCH IN HEIGHT.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
              

                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04241-01-1

 A. 294                              2
 
   (B)  SALES  OF  KRATOM  SHALL BE MADE ONLY TO AN INDIVIDUAL WHO DEMON-
 STRATES, THROUGH (I) A VALID DRIVER'S LICENSE OR NON-DRIVER'S  IDENTIFI-
 CATION  CARD  ISSUED  BY THE COMMISSIONER OF MOTOR VEHICLES, THE FEDERAL
 GOVERNMENT, ANY UNITED STATES TERRITORY, COMMONWEALTH OR POSSESSION, THE
 DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA, A STATE GOVERNMENT WITHIN THE UNITED STATES OR A
 PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF THE DOMINION OF CANADA, OR (II) A  VALID  PASS-
 PORT  ISSUED  BY  THE  UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT OR ANY OTHER COUNTRY, OR
 (III) AN IDENTIFICATION CARD ISSUED BY THE ARMED FORCES  OF  THE  UNITED
 STATES,  OR  (IV) ANY OTHER PHOTOGRAPHIC IDENTIFICATION CARD ISSUED BY A
 GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY OR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION INDICATING THAT THE INDI-
 VIDUAL IS AT LEAST TWENTY-ONE YEARS OF AGE. SUCH IDENTIFICATION NEED NOT
 BE REQUIRED OF ANY INDIVIDUAL WHO REASONABLY  APPEARS  TO  BE  AT  LEAST
 TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS OF AGE, PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT SUCH APPEARANCE SHALL
 NOT CONSTITUTE A DEFENSE IN ANY PROCEEDING ALLEGING THE SALE  OF  KRATOM
 TO AN INDIVIDUAL UNDER TWENTY-ONE YEARS OF AGE.
   (C)(I) ANY PERSON OPERATING A PLACE OF BUSINESS WHEREIN KRATOM IS SOLD
 OR OFFERED FOR SALE MAY PERFORM A TRANSACTION SCAN AS A PRECONDITION FOR
 SUCH PURCHASES.
   (II)  IN  ANY  INSTANCE WHERE THE INFORMATION DECIPHERED BY THE TRANS-
 ACTION SCAN FAILS TO MATCH  THE  INFORMATION  PRINTED  ON  THE  DRIVER'S
 LICENSE  OR  NON-DRIVER  IDENTIFICATION CARD, OR IF THE TRANSACTION SCAN
 INDICATES THAT THE INFORMATION IS FALSE  OR  FRAUDULENT,  THE  ATTEMPTED
 TRANSACTION SHALL BE DENIED.
   (III)  IN  ANY PROCEEDING PURSUANT TO SECTION THIRTEEN HUNDRED NINETY-
 NINE-EE OF THIS ARTICLE, IT SHALL BE AN AFFIRMATIVE  DEFENSE  THAT  SUCH
 PERSON HAD PRODUCED A DRIVER'S LICENSE OR NON-DRIVER IDENTIFICATION CARD
 APPARENTLY  ISSUED BY A GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY, SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THAT
 TRANSACTION SCAN, AND THAT THE KRATOM HAS BEEN SOLD, DELIVERED OR  GIVEN
 TO SUCH PERSON IN REASONABLE RELIANCE UPON SUCH IDENTIFICATION AND TRAN-
 SACTION  SCAN.  IN  EVALUATING  THE  APPLICABILITY  OF  SUCH AFFIRMATIVE
 DEFENSE THE COMMISSIONER SHALL TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION ANY WRITTEN POLI-
 CY ADOPTED AND IMPLEMENTED BY THE SELLER TO EFFECTUATE THE PROVISIONS OF
 THIS ARTICLE. USE OF A TRANSACTION SCAN  SHALL  NOT  EXCUSE  ANY  PERSON
 OPERATING  A  PLACE  OF BUSINESS WHEREIN KRATOM IS SOLD, OR THE AGENT OR
 EMPLOYEE OF SUCH PERSON,  FROM  THE  EXERCISE  OF  REASONABLE  DILIGENCE
 OTHERWISE   REQUIRED   BY  THIS  ARTICLE.    NOTWITHSTANDING  THE  ABOVE
 PROVISIONS, ANY SUCH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE SHALL NOT BE APPLICABLE IN  ANY
 CIVIL OR CRIMINAL PROCEEDING, OR IN ANY OTHER FORUM.
   (D)  A BUSINESS OR AGENT OR EMPLOYEE OF SUCH BUSINESS SHALL ONLY USE A
 DEVICE CAPABLE OF DECIPHERING ANY ELECTRONICALLY  READABLE  FORMAT,  AND
 SHALL  ONLY  USE THE INFORMATION RECORDED AND MAINTAINED THROUGH THE USE
 OF SUCH DEVICES, FOR THE PURPOSES CONTAINED IN  PARAGRAPH  (C)  OF  THIS
 SUBDIVISION.  NO  BUSINESS  OR  AGENT OR EMPLOYEE OF SUCH BUSINESS SHALL
 RESELL OR DISSEMINATE THE INFORMATION RECORDED DURING SUCH A SCAN TO ANY
 THIRD PERSON. SUCH PROHIBITED RESALE OR DISSEMINATION  INCLUDES  BUT  IS
 NOT  LIMITED  TO  ANY  ADVERTISING, MARKETING OR PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES.
 NOTWITHSTANDING THE  RESTRICTIONS  IMPOSED  BY  THIS  SUBDIVISION,  SUCH
 RECORDS MAY BE RELEASED PURSUANT TO A COURT ORDERED SUBPOENA OR PURSUANT
 TO  ANY  OTHER  STATUTE THAT SPECIFICALLY AUTHORIZES THE RELEASE OF SUCH
 INFORMATION. EACH VIOLATION OF THIS SUBDIVISION SHALL BE PUNISHABLE BY A
 CIVIL PENALTY OF NOT MORE THAN ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS.
   (E) A BUSINESS OR AGENT OR EMPLOYEE OF  SUCH  BUSINESS  MAY  ELECTRON-
 ICALLY  OR  MECHANICALLY RECORD AND MAINTAIN ONLY THE INFORMATION FROM A
 TRANSACTION SCAN NECESSARY TO EFFECTUATE THIS SECTION. SUCH  INFORMATION
 SHALL  BE  LIMITED TO THE FOLLOWING: (I) NAME, (II) DATE OF BIRTH, (III)

 A. 294                              3

 DRIVER'S LICENSE OR NON-DRIVER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER, AND  (IV)  EXPIRA-
 TION DATE.
   (F)  AS USED IN THIS SUBDIVISION, "A DEVICE CAPABLE OF DECIPHERING ANY
 ELECTRONICALLY READABLE FORMAT", "CARD HOLDER"  AND  "TRANSACTION  SCAN"
 SHALL  HAVE  THE  SAME MEANINGS AS ARE ASCRIBED TO SUCH TERMS BY SECTION
 THIRTEEN HUNDRED NINETY-NINE-CC OF THIS ARTICLE.
   § 4. The commissioner of health shall  conduct  a  study  relating  to
 kratom.  The  study  shall  include  but not be limited to the potential
 health risks, benefits and effects of kratom and shall review all avail-
 able data relating to such. Such commissioner shall publish and submit a
 report of his or her findings and recommendations to the  governor,  the
 speaker  of the assembly and the temporary president of the senate on or
 before one year from the effective date of this act.
   § 5. This act shall take effect immediately.