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A kratom plant is pictured. (File photo)

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Alabama this week became the sixth state to effectively ban kratom, a southeast Asian plant used in products that have surged in popularity in some parts of the state.

Gov. Robert Bentley on Tuesday signed a bill that puts chemicals found in kratom on the controlled substances list.

Liquid, pill and powder forms of the products are available in some convenience stores and online. Some are marketed as relaxants.

Law enforcement in some counties moved quickly to enforce the new law.

Montgomery County Sheriff Derrick Cunningham said deputies have been updated on the change in the law so they can be looking for the products in stores.

Cunningham said some citizens have been calling about kratom since he did a television news interview on the subject.

Jefferson County sheriff's Chief Deputy Randy Christian said the department going forward would confiscate the products and make arrests if necessary.

Christian said deputies would visit establishments that typically carry the product to make sure they are in compliance with the new law.

Alabama District Attorneys Association Deputy Director Barry Matson said most counties are sending out notices about the new law and allowing 24 to 48 hours for disposal.

"It's really a local law enforcement and a community decision how it's handled," Matson said. "Some areas have a greater problem with the drug than others."

Matson said he was not aware of any arrests.

The Legislature passed the bill despite opposition from some kratom users and the American Kratom Association, which touts kratom as a safe plant product that's been used for centuries for minor pain relief, energy, relaxation and other reasons.

The Food and Drug Administration has identified kratom as a botanical substance that could pose a risk to public health and has warned consumers not to use it. The FDA has authorized seizures of dietary supplements containing kratom.

The Drug Enforcement Administration lists kratom as a drug of concern. Kratom has stimulant effects in low doses and sedative effects in high doses, according to the DEA.

Certain ingredients in kratom bind to opioid receptors in the brain.

Some advocates of kratom products say they can be an alternative to addictive painkillers.

Matson said a substance with that level of potency needs to be controlled.

"That should be between a doctor and a patient, not between a gas station attendant and a customer or some anonymous website," Matson said.

The new law comes on the heels of a sharp increase in the use of kratom products in some parts of the state, Matson said.

"The last six months in Alabama is when it's really erupted," Matson said.

Five other states have passed laws effectively banning kratom, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Arkansas, Tennessee, Vermont and Wisconsin have passed laws classifying the ingredients in kratom as controlled substances. An Indiana law classifies kratom as a synthetic drug, according to the NCSL.

Illinois and Louisiana have passed laws prohibiting kratom sales to minors, according to the NCSL.

Legislation has been proposed in other states, including Florida, Georgia and Kentucky, according to the American Kratom Association, which tracks the bills.

The Alabama law, sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, classifies substances found in kratom, mitragynine and hydroxymitragynine, as Schedule 1 controlled substances.

"I had several constituents contact me asking me to do something about this drug and the negative impact they were witnessing in the lives of family members," Orr said in an email. "They were appalled it could be purchased at gas stations, etc. and their family members were becoming addicted to it."

Some users say kratom has helped them cope with chronic pain and that it's a better alternative than prescription pain medicines.

Susan Ash, director of the American Kratom Association, fought the bill in Alabama. Ash said it was a step backward to criminalize a product that helps some people avoid the use of opioids.

"Freedom of choice of a better, safer form of natural medication lost out," Ash said in an email.