BATON ROUGE - State lawmakers are at odds over what to do about a substance some say is a safe alternative to painkillers, but as one woman detailed, kratom left her with unexpected health issues.

Kratom is banned in Ascension and Tangipahoa Parishes, but it can be purchased at many smoke shops, herbal stores or gas stations.

That's where Nicole Scroggins says she picked Kratom up for the first time. Scroggins is a hairstylist. Years of standing for hours on end and cutting hair strained her joints.

"A little 17-year-old boy was standing there, and I think he was buying some of the stuff," Scroggin said. "I asked him, 'What is this?'"

The legal supplement is used to treat pain and can be found in plenty of convenience stores. At first, Scroggins says she took the recommended dose, two tablets every four to six hours. Over time, she used more and more.

"Your body gets immune to it," Scroggins said. "So you start taking more and more and more."

When she decided to call it quits, the withdrawal process was intense. She described sweating and getting tremors.

"I was scared," she said. "I really didn't know how much I was taking until I sat down and got my brain clear and thought about it."

State Sen. Jay Morris, R-West Monroe, says he's heard stories like this one over and over.

"It has little to no medicinal value according to the FDA," Morris said.

Morris wants to ban Kratom statewide, putting it in the same category as heroin and LSD.

"Kratom is not an opioid, but it has opioid-like effects," Morris said.

Another bill under consideration in this legislative session would regulate kratom rather than outlaw it.

Some parishes have considered their restrictions. Two years ago, Livingston Parish tried banning it, but some argued banning it in one parish wouldn't stop people from buying it online. Others said it was safer than taking opioids.

If Morris's bills pass. Kratom will be banned in the state starting Aug. 2025.