Kratom in the News

David Bregger became an advocate for kratom regulation after his 33-year-old son Dan died from the toxic effects of a synthetic kratom-derived product.

The St. Tammany Parish coroner is warning against Kratom use after his office reported a death linked to the substance.

When Jasmine Adeoye, an account manager based in Austin, Texas, decided to stop drinking in June 2022, she turned to a kratom beverage advertised as an alcohol alternative. Within a year and a half, Adeoye said she was addicted to the drink, "Feel Free Classic," lured by what she calls the company's deceptive marketing tactics.

As kratom use increases in young people, physicians should routinely ask patients about their kratom use, researchers say. Up to one-third of kratom users experience an adverse side effect, which may involve cardiac arrest, liver damage, brain bleeding, or seizures. In some cases, kratom use has resulted in overdose deaths.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning about a popular kratom brand, cautioning consumers that the product has been linked to one death and several other adverse health symptoms.

A maker of kratom capsules and liquids must face consumers' claims that it failed to warn them about the herbal supplement's purportedly highly addictive properties.

While drug overdoses have decreased year over year in the Nutmeg state, the city’s Family and Children’s Agency is concerned about how new popular substances will impact the state and its clients. Two substances in particular, xylazine and kratom, worry Jess Vivenzio, behavioral health director at Family and Children’s Agency.

Kratom is a $1.5 billion a year industry in the U.S., but too few people know anything about it. You can find kratom at gas stations, vape shops, convenience stores, coffee shops, grocery stores… it’s more common than you may realize. But is it a beneficial botanical or a lethal opioid?

In the midst of California’s fentanyl crisis, it’s hard to believe an herbal substance that mimics an opioid is readily available at convenience stores and smoke shops. It’s even sold to kids at 7-Eleven.

Kratom is a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia, known for its stimulant and opioid-like effects.

It has a presence in the United States, but it must be said that it is not treated equally in all the states.

States like Indiana have their own legal approach when it comes to kratom.

A popular dietary supplement that’s been linked to drug abuse and stuck in the center of controversy is being wiped from the shelves of Tangipahoa Parish businesses. Users of kratom say it helps fight against opioid addiction and cracks down on chronic pain, but others argue people are becoming far too dependent on a substance the U.S. knows very little about.

The herbal product remains widely available, despite lawsuits and warnings from health authorities.

The businesses selling kava and kratom have found themselves in a legal no-man’s-land.

Kratom was found to be a cause of death by a coroner or medical examiner in 91 out of about 27,000 overdose deaths in an 18-month period.

People use the herbal substance to treat addiction, but regulators and doctors warn there are risks involved.

The Czech Republic is testing a new approach to controlling psychoactive substances.

Some users embrace kratom as a natural painkiller and benign substitute for more dangerous substances that, in most states, is legal. But its growing popularity and easy availability are raising concerns among substance abuse experts and government officials.

Patricia Geers said she was stunned when an autopsy concluded that her son died from the toxic effects of kratom — levels in his blood were more than nine times what some experts believe can prove lethal. The death of Keifer Geers was hardly an isolated episode.

This significant legislative milestone marks a pivotal step toward establishing comprehensive regulations for the kratom industry in California, ensuring the safety, quality, and responsible sale of kratom products.

Nearly 2 million Americans in 2021 used the herbal supplement Kratom to treat pain, anxiety and opioid withdrawal, according to the Food and Drug Administration. But the substance is also blamed for addiction, seizures and deaths — like that of Dustin Hernandez.

Kratom, the tropical tree native to Southeast Asia, isn’t lawfully marketed in the U.S.— not as a drug product, a dietary supplement, or a food additive in conventional food. However, products prepared from kratom leaves are available in the U.S. through sales on the Internet and at brick-and-mortar stores.

An estimated 15 million Americans use kratom, a controversial herbal supplement made from the leaves of a tree native to Southeast Asia. Federal health officials want to ban it, but advocates want better labeling on products to make them safer.

The lawsuit alleged that a kratom distributor was responsible for the woman's death because it marketed the product as an all-natural supplement.

Georgia's governor has signed a bill putting new regulations on the production and sale of products containing kratom, a plant-based supplement.

The FDA said it is aware of 36 deaths involving products made with kratom. Kratom, an herbal extract from southeast Asia, has fierce defenders who tout its medicinal benefits. Meanwhile, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is considering whether to ban it.

The Tampa Bay Times investigated kratom in Florida. Reporters found that more than 580 died from a kratom-involved overdose in Florida the last decade. Most of those deaths involved other substances too, but 46 were due to kratom alone.

Over the years, the number of kratom retailers have been on the rise, with the pseudo-medication now available at smoke shops and convenience stores around the country.

Kratom is used by 0.7 percent of U.S. population and 10.3 percent of people with opioid use disorder.

Many doctors say kratom is dangerous because it works like an opioid, can make users high and can also be habit-forming. Plus, experts say, there's no real scientific proof it can cure anything.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued warning letters to two marketers and distributors of kratom products for illegally selling unapproved, misbranded kratom-containing drug products with unproven claims about their ability to treat or cure opioid addiction and withdrawal symptoms.

The Global Kratom Coalition staunchly advocates for enacting state-level kratom regulation and enforcement across the United States.

Chilean authorities have seized a cluster of new psychoactive substances (NPS) rarely seen in Latin America in recent months, highlighting the increasingly diverse nature of the country’s drug markets.