We urgently need your help!

AB 1088 in California is being fast-tracked and could move within days. The bill would effectively criminalize kratom products containing 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) — cutting off access for consumers and creating new criminal penalties.

SSDP showed up strong at the January 13 Senate Public Safety Committee hearing — and because of the pressure our community generated, we were able to prevent criminalization from being railroaded through. Our members and coalition partners made call after call, ensuring lawmakers heard directly from constituents about the real harms this proposal would cause. Now, we need your help again.

While there are legitimate concerns about high-concentration or unregulated products, criminalization is not the solution. This approach would:

• Disrupt access for people using kratom for pain management or opioid harm reduction
• Push demand into illicit, unregulated markets Undermine public health safeguards
• Reintroduce punitive policies California has worked to move away from

California has made meaningful progress toward evidence-based drug policy. AB 1088 would reverse that progress. Time is critical — lawmakers need to hear from us now.

Calls matter — especially before committee hearings. Please call members of the Senate Health Committee today and urge them to oppose AB 1088. It takes less than five minutes to make a meaningful impact!

Whom To Call

First, call the Chair directly:
📞 Senator Akilah Weber Pierson — (916) 651-4039

Then, call other committee members:

• Senator Suzette Martinez Valladares  (Vice-Chair) — (916) 651-4023
• Senator Anna Caballero — 916-651-4014
• Senator Lena Gonzalez — 916-651-4033
• Senator Sasha Renée Pérez — 916-651-4025
• Senator Steve Padilla — (916) 651-4018

Finally, find and call your representative.

What to Say

Hi, my name is [Your Name], and I’m a California resident from [Your City] and a member of Students for Sensible Drug Policy or SSDP.

I’m calling about AB1088, which is scheduled for an informational Senate Health Committee hearing on February 18. I strongly oppose this bill.

AB 1088 would create a statewide ban on 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), which is not grounded in a comprehensive scientific assessment and would have serious unintended consequences, including suppressing potentially lifesaving research and exposing thousands of Californians to arrest, prosecution, and incarceration.

IF RELEVANT: I’m a [veteran/chronic pain patient/person in recovery/etc] and I use 7-OH for [briefly describe how 7-OH supports your health and wellness].

AB1088 is advancing on an accelerated timeline that has excluded meaningful input from toxicologists, public health experts, researchers, and impacted communities. 

I urge Senator ________ and the committee to oppose AB1088 and reconsider rushing it through.

Criminalization is not an effective public health approach. Instead, we need smart regulation, research access, and consumer safeguards.

Please consider me and the thousands of Californians who rely on this botanical for safe, responsible use. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Tips

• Practice saying the script out loud a couple of times before calling. 
• If no one picks up, leave a message. 
• If a person picks up, they may stop and ask you questions. Adapt the script as necessary. 
• Personalize the message and add relevant information (for example, if you use 7-OH for medical reasons, are a researcher working with 7-OH, are a mom, veteran, student at a California university, teacher, etc) and include any ties you may have with the Assembly Member you are calling (for example, growing up in their district). 
• Keep it short and simple. It’s ok not to say everything in the script. 
• If you do not live in California, you can still call (but do not mention you are out of state). If you previously lived in California, mention that.