FARGO, ND – North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong is calling state lawmakers to Bismarck for a September special legislative session after issuing an emergency executive health order to ban the sale, possession, and use of kratom statewide. In explaining why he moved to ban kratom, Armstrong pointed to its widespread, unregulated availability in convenience stores and smoke shops as “gas station heroin” accessible to anyone without age restrictions. While an emergency executive order and a Board of Pharmacy rule matching federal regulations can temporarily halt sales, Armstrong explained that a special legislative session is essential because executive authority has strict legal limits. Furthermore, calling a governor-convened special session allows any newly passed law to take effect immediately upon passage with a simple majority vote, avoiding the two-thirds supermajority required if the Legislature self-convenes. During the upcoming session, Armstrong hopes lawmakers will enact a comprehensive statutory ban while crafting balanced penalties that target commercial sellers rather than criminalizing young consumers who purchased the product legally just weeks prior.