Bingham County commissioners signed an ordinance Friday banning the sale of kratom anywhere in the county, joining Idaho Falls and Blackfoot, which passed similar bans earlier this year.

The vote followed testimony from families who said they had been affected by kratom.

"I think it's something we definitely needed," Bingham County Commissioner Eric Jackson said. "Hopefully this will slow it down and make it so it's not just across the counter. We've got to do better at having police check and to keep it out of the hands of individuals that might abuse it."

Kratom is sold in gas stations, smoke shops and online, usually marketed for pain relief or energy.

"It's a natural plant that has been used for decades to aid in pain relief and also energy," Jackson said. "It kind of reminds me of these energy drinks — a stimulant to help you have more energy, but it's also been used a lot for pain relief."

Because kratom is not regulated by the FDA, Jackson said, consumers don't know what they're taking.

"It's highly addictive, is one of the things to it," Jackson said. "They've said it can be as addictive as heroin. When you take a dose of it, you don't know if you're getting 10 doses or one dose. The people that are selling it do not have the technology to put the proper dosage in each pill."

"The main thing is, there's been nine deaths in East Idaho in the last couple of years due to kratom," he said. "That has taken nine lives in East Idaho alone."

The county is also pushing for a statewide ban.

State Rep. Erin Bingham, R-Idaho Falls, has been working to get the issue before the Legislature since last year.

"She took it to the Legislature in Boise last winter while they were in session, but there wasn't enough information, that people didn't know enough about it," Jackson said.

Jackson said he expects another attempt this session and that Bingham plans to bring it back.

"There's a lot of pushback from people that are distributing kratom, and they put up a lot of negativity about outlawing it," Jackson said. "(Bingham's) confident the Legislature can (pass a statewide ban) this time now that people are more aware of it and there's been more deaths attributed to kratom."

Bonneville County followed suit and also banned the sale of kratom.

"The city of Idaho Falls made an ordinance to ban sales of kratom, so … the (county commissioners) followed with that as well," Sgt. Brian Lovell, public information officer of the Bonneville County Sheriff's Office, said. "That created the ordinance and made that decision and voted to ban sales of kratom in our county."

Lovell said the Bonneville County commissioners and others involved raised some concerns about the sale of kratom, just like Bingham County and other cities and counties across the state.

"We've had concerns, there's no age restriction on it, and it's available over the counter at gas stations and businesses in town," Lovell said.