Kratom Raising Red Flags

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An herb used for centuries in Southeast Asia, kratom, is raising red flags in the states as lawsuits are coming in from deaths associated with the drug.

According to the FDA, people use the herb to self-treat pain, anxiety, depression, opioid use, and opioid withdrawal. But how safe is it?

U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks has ruled that a Kratom distributor pay more than $11 million in damages to the family of a Florida woman who died after using the substance. In that case, the Palm Beach County Coroner listed her cause of death as “acute mitragynine intoxication.” Mitragynine is one of the main psychoactive components of the Kratom plant. “At high concentrations, mitragynine produces opioid-like effects, such as respiratory failure,” the coroner wrote.

Kratom is sold in U.S. stores and online, according to the Food and Drug Administration. About 1.7 million Americans 12 and older were known to be users in 2021.

However, the FDA says Kratom isn’t “appropriate for use as a dietary conventional supplement,” and the plant isn’t approved as a prescription or over-the-counter drug.

Kratom can produce stimulant effects similar to coffee, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but in higher doses, it can be similar to opioids.