To Our Community, Customers, and Supporters,
For over 9 years, Duke City Herbs has proudly served Albuquerque as a local herbal and botanical retail shop focused on providing access to a wide variety of plant-based products, educational resources, and alternative wellness options for adults in our community.
Recently, the City of Albuquerque and the New Mexico Environment Department have begun increasing enforcement and restrictions related to kratom and other botanical products, particularly through food service regulations and “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) standards that were originally designed for food establishments.
We want our community to understand something important:
Duke City Herbs is not a restaurant, café, or food preparation business. We operate as a retail botanical shop.
We do not prepare kratom beverages, mix products for consumption, or operate as a food service establishment. Our products are sold in packaged retail form, similar to other botanical and herbal retailers across the country.
Throughout our years of operation, we have consistently taken steps to operate responsibly by:
• Posting signage stating we are not a food establishment
• Labeling products as “Retail Botanical Products” and “Research Use Only” where appropriate
• Separating cannabis products from other botanicals for compliance purposes
• Maintaining SOPs and compliance procedures in-store
• Adjusting displays, menus, and product placement when new guidance becomes available
• Welcoming feedback from regulators when clear written guidance is provided
Our concern is that broad food-service regulations are now being applied to botanical retail businesses without fully understanding how shops like ours actually operate.
We have respectfully asked the City to distinguish between:
• a food establishment preparing or serving consumable kratom products, and
• a retail botanical business selling packaged botanical products.
We also asked the City to allow compliant botanical retailers the opportunity to continue operating under clear retail standards and workable compliance guidelines rather than broad prohibition language intended for food service operations.
Kratom has been one of our primary botanical products for many years, and many customers rely on access to these products for personal reasons. Some customers can only afford small purchases locally and cannot easily order online or travel outside the city. Removing access entirely may unintentionally push people toward unregulated or unsafe sources.
We understand the City’s responsibility to regulate businesses and protect public safety. We are not asking to avoid regulation. We are asking for fair treatment, open communication, and practical compliance pathways for responsible botanical retailers.
Our shop has always been willing to adapt, make corrections, improve labeling, improve placement, and follow reasonable operational standards when given the opportunity and guidance to do so.
We appreciate every customer, neighbor, and community member who has supported Duke City Herbs throughout the years. Your support helps small local businesses survive during uncertain times.
If you believe adults should continue to have access to botanical products through responsible local retailers, we encourage you to respectfully contact City officials, attend public hearings, and share your voice.
Thank you for supporting local business, community choice, and fair treatment for botanical retailers in Albuquerque.
— Duke City Herbs
4012 Central Ave SE
Albuquerque, NM 87108