Kratom cases are exploding across the U S. and doctors are alarmed

Kratom cases are exploding across the U S. and doctors are alarmed

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. St. Charles County and Kansas City are among the half-dozen Kratom Farms other places in Missouri that have approved restrictions and regulations on kratom. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has advised people not to take them because they can be addictive and lead to health problems including death. The FDA is pushing to add the opioid-like ingredient to the federal controlled substances list.

“The bill is named in honor of Matthew Davenport, of Chattanooga, whose life tragically ended at age 27 in 2024 following a lethal interaction between kratom and doctor-prescribed medications,” lawmakers shared. If you prefer not to have your kratom flavored they offer that too with the Classic. We currently sell only products without 7-oh. 7-OH products are under government scrutiny and may become illegal soon. Opia manufactures products with 7-OH and without.

The “active ingredients” in kratom—Mytragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine—interact with the same brain receptors as opioids. If these actions are approved by the Ohio Board of Pharmacy, Ohio will be the first state in the country to categorize all current and future natural and synthetic kratom compounds as Schedule I drugs. The FDA recently recommended that the kratom compound 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) be classified as an illegal drug under the Controlled Substances Act. 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.

• Drugs that are categorized as Schedule I are determined to be the most dangerous, with the medical benefits, if any, outweighed by the potential for abuse or death.
• The Texas Kratom Consumer Protection Act regulates kratom sales statewide.
• It may help relieve pain-related conditions, such as depression or chronic pain.
• City Councilor John FitzGerald told GBH News he’s particularly concerned about synthetic kratom containing high concentrations of a psychoactive chemical called 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH.
• Botanic Tonics, the company that makes Feel Free, said their product only contains natural whole leaf kratom and limits 7-OH content to 1%.
• “When you remove a lower risk product from the community that still has pain and still has demand the demand doesn’t disappear. It relocates to untested, unregulated or illicit alternatives where the real dangers live.”

Living bandage created by scientists could be used to heal wounds faster

“This is ultimately about ensuring that player welfare remains the priority and that leagues maintain a high standard when endorsing products to professional athletes.” Dartez Jacobs, the president of the UFL Players Association when the sponsorship was signed in 2024, said the league having an official kratom supplier raises concerns about its decision-making process. “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. In another video, the employee tells UFL linebacker Momo Sanogo that a kratom-infused chocolate bar will help with mental clarity during workouts. CBD Kratom partnered with the league to create a mini-series to promote the benefits of its products to athletes. The United Football League embraced kratom beginning in 2024, naming one sponsor as the official supplier.

Our Products

"Bad actors are exposing one of the 50 alkaloids in kratom to harsh, toxic agents and creating 7-OH. It's not kratom. It's not natural. It's not a plant. It's a synthetic drug." “You market kratom products for the treatment or cure of opioid addiction and withdrawal symptoms. While the federal government has backed away from plans to make kratom illegal, the FDA has asked the DEA to ban another kratom alkaloid – 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) – which is more potent than mitragynine.

“Similarly, with kratom—while not nearly as potent as a stimulant—it is unusual that it also acts like an opioid when taken at a higher dose.” In an ideal world, kratom powder would be a well-regulated drug. There are increasing requirements for herbal medicines to list the actual amount of active chemicals, like echinacea for cold and flu, but kratom falls into this weird category now, because it's neither a drug nor a dietary supplement. 7-OH is a more water-soluble version of that main active ingredient, but it is about five- to 50-fold more potent on the brain than mitragynine as an opioid receptor agonist or stimulator. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended adding 7-OH to the Schedule I drug list, putting it in the category of heroin that labels it as having “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” “And 7-OH is five to 50 times more potent than the normal kratom powder used in capsule or tea form, resulting in a much higher likelihood of overuse and abuse.”

People can end up with heart attacks if they drink several of those, whereas you would have to drink a significantly higher amount of coffee to get into health problems. So it’s similar to caffeine drinks at the highest levels of caffeine vs. coffee, or flower cannabis vs. shatter? Even if it’s in capsules, that’s like taking six extra-strength Tylenol capsules at a time. Now, no one is going to ever ingest 3 grams of leaf powder – the leaves are very bitter, like most alkaloids are.

“Consumers who use 7-OH products are exposing themselves to products that have not been proven safe or effective for any use,” the FDA warned. There are no approved drugs containing it, and no legal basis for companies to claim it helps with pain or anxiety, according to the agency. “7-OH is an opioid that can be more potent than morphine,” FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said in a statement. Experts warn that means they will have stronger effects — and a greater risk for addiction and harm.