Rhode Island Governor Daniel J. McKee has vetoed a controversial bill sponsored by a Tiverton representative, saying the drug that it would have legalized would be dangerous to public health.

“The Kraton Consumer Protection Act,” submitted by Democrat John G. Edwards of Tiverton, passed both the Senate and House of Representatives before Gov. McKee vetoed it Wednesday.

The act would have authorized and regulated the distribution of kratom, a substance derived from the tree of the same name that is native to Southeast Asia. Kratom can produce opioid and stimulant-like effects and is illegal in Rhode Island. But if it had passed McKee’s desk, the legislation would have legalized and regulated it.

Edwards had stated this legislative session that kratom is already in use across Rhode Island, and those who would benefit from its use, including those with chronic pain, should have legal, safe and controlled access.

But McKee disagreed and in a letter to the heads of the Senate and House, wrote that  multiple state agencies requested he veto the bill. Those include the state departments of health, revenue, behavioral health, developmental disabilities and hospitals, the state attorney general, Rhode Island Medical Society, and others.

According to several of those agencies, McKee wrote in a letter to the leaders of the house and senate, kratom has “the potential for abuse and addiction .. and adverse health effects like seizures, liver damage and neonatal abstinence syndrome. An increased risk to youth is also a serious concern due to easier accessibility, especially without any corresponding funding for education or safety awareness campaigns.

In addition, the governor wrote that the state’s division of taxation also requested a veto “because it cannot confidently determine for tax purposes” whether kratom is a controlled substance, a food or food ingredient, or a dietary supplement.

“Due to the overwhelming opposition to this Act by multiple state agencies, the medical community, and the office of the Attorney General, I cannot support this act,” Gov. McKee wrote.