‘He didn’t wake up:’ Mom shares story of son’s kratom death as regulation debate continues

The American Kratom Association said while the plant appears to be popular in pre-workout and post-workout routines, there is no Wi Doc data about its use in professional sports. “I mean it’s everywhere, every store I go into, every gas station, every mini-mart or convenience store,” he said. “They’re these little blue bottles that you find at gas stations,” said the former player, who asked not to be named in order to speak openly about his addiction. “It first came to my attention in dealing with local high school athletes that were using it for anxiety and pain control from soreness after practice,” Quigley said. Part of that disagreement stems from the nature of the plant itself.

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Almost every state in the nation introduced some form of legislation regarding the status of kratom in its respective jurisdictions. A previous blog examined the kratom legislation that states have already passed and implemented. We do not sell or ship kratom to any state, county, city, or country where kratom is prohibited or restricted by law.

New warnings over controversial supplement Kratom

• “Afterward, I heard a lot of bad things about (kratom),” said Sanogo, 27, who retired after winning the league championship last season with the DC Defenders.
• Poison control centers in the U.S. received more than 3,400 reports about the use of kratom from 2014 to 2019, according to the Mayo Clinic.
• “Therefore, CDPH is warning the public that foods and other products containing kratom and 7-OH are illegal to sell or manufacture for consumption.”
• Kratom leaf companies have tried to distinguish themselves as wholly different from 7-OH manufacturers, who disagree with such delineations.
• In some jurisdictions its sale and importation have been restricted, and several public health authorities have raised alerts.
• Responsible vendors describe effects without crossing into medical territory.

But, she added, “For my patients that come to me and have been using illicit opioids and have switched to kratom, they are reducing their risk. Dr. Kristin Martin, an addiction physician and chair of the American Osteopathic Associations Conjoint Committee on Addiction Medicine, said kratom is still an emerging area of research. Trouville, who is now suing the manufacturer of the kratom drinks her son consumed, suspects that’s part of the reason his death certificate reflects mitragynine toxicity as his cause of death. In Florida, where Trouville’s son died, a local investigation the year before his death revealed that nearly 600 people over the last decade had died of kratom-related overdoses. “If you’re a larger city with almost a million people in it saying it’s a problem … I think a lot of other towns and cities would look at Boston and say, ‘Why are they banning?

The products sold on this website are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Operated by our in-house editorial team — a small group of writers, engineers, and kratom-industry veterans. Amazing Botanicals — a U.S.-based kratom e-commerce company in business since 2014.

She said a kratom ban long-term will benefit the state, but it may be a different story in the short-term. The products on this website are only for use in states where the sale and consumption of such products are legal. For beginners with kratom extract, initiate with a low dose, incrementally adjusting for desired effects.

These synthetic kratom products, which are often sold in packaging designed to attract youth, have been found to cause psychosis, seizures, insomnia, hallucinations, and death. (COLUMBUS, Ohio)— Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced today that he is calling on the Ohio Board of Pharmacy to immediately designate all natural and synthetic kratom compounds as illegal drugs. For example, Tennessee has explicitly banned synthetic alkaloids while permitting natural plant products.

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“It’s caused overdose, death, sickness, hospital visits from people thinking that this is marketed as an energy drink or something to help you with aches and pains,” said FitzGerald. Stay up-to-date on the biggest health and wellness news with our weekly recap. During the same press conference, Makary noted that there is no intention for the agencies to deem pure kratom as "safe" for use at this time. "They’re marketed for children," RFK commented on the products at vape shops. "There is also a potential for individuals to develop dependence and withdrawal with heavy kratom use," he said.

During the first seven months of 2025, poison control centers nationwide received 1,690 reports of exposure cases involving kratom, which already surpasses the total number of cases for the entire year of 2024. According to preliminary data from the Ohio Department of Health, kratom was found to be a cause of death in more than 200 unintentional overdose deaths in Ohio from 2019 to 2024. Products are sold online and in stores in various forms, including powders, pills, gummies, and drink products. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for consumption or medical use, but it is often marketed for its purported ability to treat chronic pain, opioid dependence, opioid withdrawal, anxiety, depression, and other disorders. Reputable vendors will not ship to states where their products are prohibited.

FDA urges regulations on kratom

If it becomes illegal, I fear we may never truly be able to study and treat ailments that kratom helps with,” wrote another survey respondent. In a PNN survey of over 6,000 kratom users, about one in ten said they used kratom as a treatment for OUD or alcoholism, with over 90% saying it was “very effective.” Many said kratom reduced their cravings and helped ween them from drugs. Although the main purpose of the placebo-controlled trial is to test the safety and tolerability of mitragynine – not whether it can treat OUD – the fact that NIH is even conducting such a study is being hailed as a “major milestone” by kratom advocates.