![\"Estimated](\"https:\/\/www.womenshealthmag.com\/_assets\/design-tokens\/fre\/static\/icons\/clock-regular.b2f2888.svg\")
23 min read<\/p>\n23 min read<\/p>\n
JASMINE ADEOYE HAS<\/strong> has a confession to make. Though she smiles cheerily into the camera, hair pulled back from her face, in white overalls and a black T-shirt, her video<\/a>, posted in June 2024\u2014over nine minutes in length\u2014is a serious one.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing an account that preaches about sobriety\u2026I was not being my most authentic self in a lot of my recent videos,\u201d says the now 30-year-old from Austin. \u201cI finally feel comfortable enough opening up about an addiction I\u2019ve been struggling with.\u201d<\/p>\n Jasmine got sober from alcohol<\/a> in June 2022, seeking to rid her life of hangovers, embarrassing behavior, and blackouts. But she missed the mood boost she got from drinking, even socially, so she began trying all sorts of mocktails<\/a>, seeking a more \u201cnatural\u201d version. An avid listener of the podcast The Skinny Confidential, from Michael and Lauryn Bosstick, Jasmine had previously bought ice rollers and skin care products on the hosts\u2019 recommendations. So when they started discussing a drink that was billed as a \u201cplant-based herbal supplement<\/a>\u201d and alcohol alternative available for purchase<\/a> at smoke shops and gas stations, her interest was piqued.<\/p>\n At first, she began with just one or two drinks on the weekend. The beverage made her feel sociable yet focused\u2014like a \u201ceuphoric Adderall,\u201d she says. \u201cYou just want to talk, and you feel really interested in things that you maybe wouldn\u2019t have been super interested in before.\u201d<\/p>\n In early 2023, Jasmine started a new job as an accounts manager, a gig that quickly turned \u201ctoxic,\u201d she says. She began drinking the beverages after her shift ended, just to take the edge off. By October, she was drinking a few bottles during work\u2014she felt as if she couldn\u2019t be present in work-related conversations without it. <\/p>\n Suddenly, she was waking up in the morning feeling like she had to throw up or that she had the flu (she later realized these were likely withdrawal symptoms), so she\u2019d drive to the gas station to snag two of the brightly colored bottles, which typically cost $9 to $13 each, depending on the seller. She\u2019d hit a different gas station in the afternoon for two more, embarrassed about potentially seeing the same cashier. At the height of her addiction, Jasmine was drinking 10 beverages per day, maxing out her credit cards and accumulating about $12,000 in debt.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never been dependent on something like that in my life,\u201d she says. \u201cYou feel like this is just God\u2019s gift\u2014it\u2019s making you more productive, your mood is better, you\u2019re not depressed, you\u2019re happier. Then, at some point, subtly, it just slowly starts to turn on you. You need more and more to keep up the feeling that it gives you. It\u2019s very devastating.\u201d<\/p>\n When Jasmine filmed that nine-minute video about her experience with the tonics and posted it on TikTok, she had already amassed a couple thousand followers who\u2019d listened to her preach about the benefits of sober living. Her confession has garnered nearly 78,000 likes and over a million views. But perhaps more telling was that the comments section quickly filled with people who\u2019d had similar experiences. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never been dependent on something like that in my life. You feel like this is just God\u2019s gift\u2014 it\u2019s making you more productive, your mood is better, you\u2019re not depressed, you\u2019re happier. Then, at some point, subtly, it justslowly starts to turn on you.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m going through the same thing right now,\u201d one wrote. \u201cI\u2019m so scared to detox.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cThis is my exact story,\u201d another added. \u201cThought it was a \u2018natural\u2019 safe alternative. It has wrecked my life in SO many ways.\u201d<\/p>\n What Jasmine didn\u2019t realize was that her new favorite drink contained kratom<\/a>, an herbal substance known by scientists as Mitragyna speciosa. It comes from a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia and can produce opioid- and stimulant-like effects. The little bottle also features kava root, derived from a plant from the Pacific Islands best known for its relaxing and euphoric effects<\/a>. Jasmine had previously used kava alone and says she never struggled with any sort of addiction to it. But now, with the addition of kratom extracts, it proved to be immensely powerful.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just Jasmine and her commenters who\u2019ve found themselves suddenly dependent on a kratom-related product. On Reddit, r\/quittingkratom<\/a> boasts over 50,000 members. TikTok has policies about showing and discussing drug usage on the site, but to get around the restrictions, TikTokers use #kr8tom and #krat0m to discuss their experiences\u2014positive and negative\u2014with the plant. <\/p>\n Taylor, a 28-year-old salesperson living in the Midwest, says the drink made her feel more comfortable chatting with customers at her job; at the height of her dependency, she was spending $60 on six bottles a day. But Taylor realized she had a problem when she found herself driving over an hour away to the closest open gas station that sold it.<\/p>\n \u201cThis drink is marketed as a natural herbal supplement<\/a>. It\u2019s marketed as an alcohol alternative. I never saw anything wrong with this,\u201d Taylor says. \u201cIt sounds like something you can get at a farmers market\u2014and I have seen kratom sold at farmers markets. But it\u2019s really an insidious little product.\u201d<\/p>\n People typically report taking kratom to manage chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and withdrawal from substance use disorders. But many of the women interviewed for this article started drinking kratom beverages as an alternative to alcohol, having never experienced any of those issues.<\/p>\n And what they found was a substance that wreaked far more havoc than any of them imagined.<\/p>\n Kratom\u2014which comes from a tree<\/strong> in the same family as the coffee<\/a> tree\u2014first began cropping up in the United States in the early to mid-2000s. Up to that point, for decades, Thai and Malaysian laborers and farmers chewed<\/a> raw kratom leaves or boiled them into teas or inhaled them as vapor or smoke, using the substance to \u201cprovide energy and relief from muscle strains,\u201d according to the U.S. Department of Justice\u2019s Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Some would even use kratom to avoid going into opium withdrawal while culling the poppy fields, says Christopher R. McCurdy<\/a>, PhD, a professor at the University of Florida\u2019s College of Pharmacology, who researches kratom\u2019s effects, including its potential medical benefits and possible harms. <\/p>\n Thanks to the Internet, a global audience became familiar with a previously regional plant. In the U.S., where the opioid crisis has raged<\/a> since the turn of the century, new restrictions on access to prescription opioids in the past 10 years may have further increased demand for kratom, studies show. The product is especially prevalent in Appalachian states such as Tennessee, West Virginia, and Kentucky, where the opioid epidemic has hit hard: Over 40 percent of respondents in a 2020 Johns Hopkins survey<\/a> said they took kratom (primarily via dried kratom leaves, either in powdered form or prepared as tea) to treat opioid dependence. And of those using it to treat opioid dependency, 87 percent reported relief from opioid withdrawal symptoms.<\/p>\n Kratom produces opioid-like effects<\/a>, but it\u2019s technically not an opioid; it interacts with the brain\u2019s opioid receptors. And though there\u2019s been research into its potential benefit to the opioid addiction community, experts aren\u2019t yet sure if it\u2019s just another antagonist\u2014or possibly an asset\u2014in the ongoing public health problem. Once the prescription pain pill OxyContin\u2014widely recognized as the main villain in the epidemic\u2014was reformulated to be \u201cabuse-deterrent\u201d in 2010 (making it more difficult to crush or inject it), many people turned to other substances<\/a>, like heroin and fentanyl\u2026and now kratom.<\/p>\n Chelsea Kyle<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve done such a good job in the recovery community of destigmatizing opioid use disorder<\/a>\u2014of telling and educating people that fentanyl kills you. But with kratom, here\u2019s a product on the shelf that\u2019s legal to buy that gives you some very similar effects, like euphoric sensations,\u201d says Brandon Fitch, a mental health professional in Paducah, Kentucky, who specializes in addiction and recovery. \u201cIt kills pain. It checks all these boxes\u2014in addition to the fact that you\u2019re not going to go to jail or prison when you purchase it. On the outside, it looks like a good answer.\u201d But in reality, kratom is far from it.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth emphasizing that even those who\u2019ve never struggled with addiction previously, like Jasmine, have found themselves hooked on kratom. In fact, a survey of people who\u2019ve taken kratom found that 12.3 percent qualified as having a kratom addiction or kratom substance use disorder, according to a 2024 Johns Hopkins and National Institutes of Health<\/a> study.<\/p>\n Another factor contributing to the kratom spread: The FDA began cracking down on nicotine vapes around 2011, so smoke shops turned to selling new, unregulated substances, like Delta 8 tetrahydrocannabinol (a popular THC product) and kratom, according to Matthew Rossheim<\/a>, PhD, MPH, an associate professor of health administration and health policy at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth. <\/p>\n Over the past 10 years, the American kratom industry has blossomed. Joe Rogan mentioned he was using it in a 2018 segment on his podcast<\/a>. On a 2022 episode<\/a> of The Skinny Confidential, Michael Bosstick called one kratom beverage, Feel Free, a \u201cmagic elixir\u201d and offered listeners 40 percent off their purchase during the opening sponsorship advertisement. By that time, an estimated 1.7 million Americans age 12 or older had used kratom in the past year, according to 2021 national data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now basically ubiquitous, kratom is widely available<\/a> for purchase online and at gas stations, convenience stores, smoke shops, and supplement stores. (If you want it and live in a state where it has not been banned or restricted, and you are able to pay for it, you can find it quickly.) <\/p>\n At low doses, kratom acts like a stimulant, with people reporting \u201cincreased alertness, physical energy, talkativeness and sociable behavior,\u201d according to the DEA<\/a>. At high doses, kratom produces opioid-like effects \u201ccomparable to scheduled opioid drugs,\u201d then FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, wrote in a 2018 statement<\/a>. <\/p>\n However, it\u2019s not as powerful as other opioids at any dose. That\u2019s because one of the plant\u2019s main chemical compounds, mitragynine, a psychoactive alkaloid, interacts with multiple systems in our bodies, including opioid, serotonin, and adrenergic (key to the \u201cfight or flight\u201d response) pathways, McCurdy says. That means that kratom overdoses look different from those caused by fentanyl and other opioids, due to mitragynine\u2019s limited capacity to target and activate the brain\u2019s opioid receptors. <\/p>\n One study<\/a> estimated that mitragynine is 1,000 times less likely to cause an overdose death than drugs like fentanyl and heroin. \u201cYou can think of it as touching the gas pedal to just get up to 40 miles an hour,\u201d McCurdy says. \u201cThis compound has what we call a ceiling effect. No matter how much of the drug we give, at opioid receptors, it only activates it at this low level.\u201d<\/p>\n More From Women’s Health<\/p>\n Once the plant arrived in America, though, doses got larger and larger\u2014and more dangerous. Manufacturers began producing liquid kratom extracts, which are absorbed into the body much more quickly than the kratom leaf. The extracts also have far higher concentrations of mitragynine. In one gram of kratom leaf powder, there are 20 milligrams of mitragynine; a single bottle containing extracts can have much more, according to Mac Haddow, a senior fellow of public policy at the American Kratom Association, an advocacy group that has fought federal efforts to broadly ban kratom. In a two-ounce, two-serving bottle of Feel Free, there are 40 milligrams, whereas some other products have over 200 milligrams. <\/p>\n \u201cThe plant material has been used in traditional settings in Southeast Asia for hundreds of years without issue,\u201d McCurdy says. \u201cBut in America, we love to supersize, so we\u2019re making things more and more and more concentrated. From our standpoint, it\u2019s a real public health concern.\u201d (Even if death is not immediate, it still can destroy lives and health as addiction grows.)<\/p>\n A 2023 class-action lawsuit<\/a> against Botanic Tonics, the company that makes Feel Free, alleges that the drink was specifically formulated so that mitragynine could quickly cross the blood-brain barrier (a protective filter that keeps \u201charmful substances\u201d out of your brain, according to the Cleveland Clinic<\/a>). \u201cAs a result, the kratom in Feel Free begins to take effect moments after ingesting the drink, leading to a faster, stronger, and longer-lasting high,\u201d the suit alleges. <\/p>\n A representative for Botanic Tonics says this claim is \u201cpatently false,\u201d stating that there is \u201cno manipulation of the alkaloids\u201d in Feel Free.<\/p>\n Over the past few years, some kratom manufacturers have begun making even more powerful 7-hydroxymitragynine, or \u201c7-OH,\u201d products, sold as tablets, gummies, drink mixes, or liquid shots. While kratom extracts hit on multiple receptors in the brain, 7-OH hits primarily on one opioid receptor. A half-bottle, or a one-ounce serving of Feel Free, has less than 0.05 milligrams of 7-OH, but other brands sell products that have 10 milligrams per serving, an amount 200 times higher than that in Feel Free. 7-OHs \u201cbehave much more like traditional opioids, like morphine,\u201d McCurdy says. \u201cIt goes all the way.\u201d <\/p>\n Also of note: 7-OHs don\u2019t have the same ceiling effect that kratom extracts and plant-material capsules do, making users more prone to respiratory depression (hypoventilation)\u2014and death, McCurdy says.<\/p>\n McCurdy and other researchers are rightfully worried, since any number of kratom products are available for consumers to purchase without knowing just how unsafe they really are. \u201cA lot of people think that because it\u2019s natural, it\u2019s safe,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s one really big misconception.\u201d<\/p>\n As mitragynine potency increases,<\/strong> the risk of side effects and dependency can too. The FDA has noted<\/a> that using kratom can lead to respiratory depression, vomiting, nervousness, weight loss, and constipation. Withdrawal can include hostility, aggression, excessive tearing, aching of muscles and bones, and jerky limb movements\u2014similar<\/a> to the symptoms of opioid withdrawal. <\/p>\n In a single ascending-dose trial<\/a> conducted by the FDA, scientists found that the plant material\u2019s only side effects were nausea and agitation, McCurdy says. But extracts weren\u2019t included in the study, and he says there\u2019s no level of concentrated mitragynine that researchers have concluded is clinically \u201csafe.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cWe just don\u2019t know where the safety starts to become compromised,\u201d he says. \u201cWe know that the leaf material seems to be fairly fine and not too adverse event\u2013causing. We don\u2019t really know that for any measurable amount of any extracts that are out there.\u201d<\/p>\n When Kristen Sweeney Avila, a 37-year-old e-commerce and marketing manager, got sober from alcohol about six years ago, she didn\u2019t want it to limit her social life. She continued going out to bars around her Long Island home, ordering mocktails instead of her usual gin and tonic or straight vodka\u2014although she still desired the relaxation that alcohol used to give her. <\/p>\n After sampling kratom extracts at a local kava bar (and using kratom teas casually for years), Kristen\u2019s kratom use escalated when she started drinking O.P.M.S. shots\u2014which typically cost her around $20 a bottle\u2014in 2022, enjoying the energy they gave her during social situations and before workouts. She even served kratom tea at her wedding. She ended up switching to another kratom beverage, since the bottles were $10 cheaper than her typical shots. \u201cI had no idea that I would become more addicted to these things than anything I had ever been addicted to before,\u201d she says. But while preparing for her July 2023 honeymoon in St. Thomas, Kristen became nervous about traveling with a quantity of liquids, so she packed only powdered kratom capsules. However, she quickly found that because the mitragynine concentration was so much weaker in the plant material, she was starting to experience intense withdrawal, including restless leg syndrome.<\/p>\n \u201cI basically did not sleep my entire honeymoon,\u201d she says. \u201cThat was really the first time I was like, \u2018Oh my god, I\u2019m addicted to this.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Advocates for safe kratom usage, like Haddow, insist that symptoms of withdrawal from kratom leaf products\u2014if there are any\u2014more closely resemble those of caffeine dependency, including an upset stomach, runny nose, and prolonged headache; any other symptoms, he says, could be from the product being \u201cspiked\u201d with something else.<\/p>\n \u201cThe people I\u2019ve spoken to who became addicted told me that the withdrawal symptoms and the process of getting off of it was actually more uncomfortable and more difficult than opioids.\u201d But professionals who run treatment centers disagree. The kratom withdrawal symptoms they see are similar to those of opioid addiction, including increased blood pressure and heart rate, agitation, nausea, organ damage, and hallucinations, says Alison Tarlow<\/a>, PsyD, chief clinical officer at the Boca Recovery Center. There\u2019s also a greater risk for seizures, heart attacks, coma, and death, she adds.<\/p>\n \u201cThe people I\u2019ve spoken to who became addicted told me that the withdrawal symptoms and the process of getting off of it was actually more uncomfortable and more difficult than opioids,\u201d says Tarlow. And the more concentrated the mitragynine, the more intense withdrawal can be. \u201cI\u2019ve had two or three mothers sitting in here just in tears, because they cannot go throughout their day without [kratom],\u201d Fitch says.<\/p>\n Fitch recalls experiencing cold sweats, vomiting, irritation, and depression when he quit the plant. Withdrawal can last for several days or weeks, depending on the person; some people who consistently drank kratom extracts\u2014including Kristen\u2014have reported experiencing a depression that can last for months, since kratom interacts with your brain\u2019s serotonin receptors.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re dependent on kratom, Fitch and Tarlow recommend seeking help from a treatment center that can address your withdrawal symptoms and any underlying mental health issues and provide a plan of action moving forward. Unlike with opioid or alcohol addiction, there\u2019s no standard medication to taper kratom addiction; at Tarlow\u2019s Boca Recovery Center, doctors will treat individual withdrawal symptoms, while some will prescribe medications typically used to treat opioid use disorder, like Subutex, Suboxone, or Vivitrol, Fitch says.<\/p>\n After Kristen\u2019s honeymoon, she tried cutting back on the kratom extracts but relapsed. Throughout 2024, she would make excuses to pop out in the middle of her workday to purchase more of the drinks, frequently stopping to throw up on the side of the road, since she now felt sick \u201call the time,\u201d she says. She made numerous attempts to quit kratom; typically, around the 30-day mark, she would begin experiencing extreme depression and suicidal ideation, which would cause her to relapse.<\/p>\n To pay for up to 10 daily bottles, Kristen asked her husband for money, took out shady loans, and got a new credit card. Over the years, she estimates, she\u2019s spent over $20,000 on kratom beverages.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was one time I accidentally threw out a full bottle in a public trash can. I didn\u2019t have another $10, so I went into the trash can to retrieve my Feel Free,\u201d she says. \u201cThat was probably the lowest part of my addiction.\u201d<\/p>\n Researchers haven\u2019t yet found the line\u2014in terms of dosage or preparation\u2014that seems to flip the switch, turning kratom from potentially helpful to addictive and even deadly. An early trial suggested that low doses of kratom\u2014in plant or leaf form\u2014are safe and well tolerated, McCurdy and Haddow say. But concentrated liquid extracts or 7-OH forms\u2014which, again, contain far more mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine\u2014haven\u2019t been studied in the same way. Many experts say that in the meantime, it\u2019s dangerous for them to be on the market.<\/p>\n \u201c[We] need to understand, scientifically: Can it be consumed safely?\u201d McCurdy says. \u201cSomething needs to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n Kratom overdoses <\/strong>more closely resemble those associated with stimulants\u2014meaning cardiovascular complications and seizures, McCurdy says, since that high concentration of mitragynine is also interacting with serotonin or adrenergic receptors. But just because kratom isn\u2019t as deadly or addictive as fentanyl or opioids doesn\u2019t mean it doesn\u2019t still carry serious risks of overdose and death.<\/p>\n Alison Rains, MD, an interventional cardiologist and the medical director of emergency services at Baptist Health Paducah in Kentucky, says their emergency room sees about one kratom overdose per week, with patients typically presenting with agitation, high blood pressure, heart palpitations, or even acute psychosis and seizures. (Kratom seems to increase the risk of experiencing a seizure, particularly in people with an underlying seizure condition.)<\/p>\n \u201cThey have more significant symptoms when they\u2019re using [kratom] with other drugs, but even people that have just used it by itself, we\u2019ve also seen significant side effects,\u201d she says. Depending on the symptoms, Dr. Rains\u2019s physicians treat OD patients with sedatives, anticonvulsants, and\/or\u2014in especially critical cases\u2014ventilators.<\/p>\n Sometimes, though, the story doesn\u2019t end with intervention, treatment, and recovery. A major three-part investigative report completed by the Tampa Bay Times<\/a> in 2023 found that 580 people had died in Florida from kratom-related overdoses over the past decade (the number was determined by combing through autopsy records). And a Washington Post<\/a> analysis found kratom listed as the leading or a partial cause of at least 4,100 deaths between 2020 and 2022. A CDC report<\/a> found 152 kratom-related deaths from 2016 to 2017. <\/p>\n Kathy Jo Sample\u2019s little sister Debra Jo was one who didn\u2019t make it out of kratom addiction. <\/p>\n Debra Jo, in recovery from addiction, loved the relaxed feeling that kratom gave her. The Kentucky native had been using kratom on and off for five years. Whenever her mom and sisters would confront her about her dependency on the plant, she had the same refrain: It can\u2019t kill me. I buy it at the gas station. \u201cIn her belief, it wasn\u2019t going to hurt her,\u201d Kathy Jo says. <\/p>\n But as the years went on, Debra Jo began drastically losing weight. She was tired all the time. Her skin took on a gray hue. Kathy Jo says her sister was taking more than her extract\u2019s recommended dose. During a trip to the emergency room, Debra Jo\u2019s blood pressure was low\u201480\/50 mm Hg\u2014and she was having difficulty breathing. <\/p>\n Her doctor and family finally convinced her to quit kratom\u2014and she went through intense withdrawal that included hallucinations and tremors\u2014but by that point, \u201cthe damage was done,\u201d Kathy Jo says. Debra Jo died on Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024. Cause of death? \u201cAcute myocardial infarction\u201d\u2014a heart attack\u2014brought on by \u201cuse of kratom\u201d and a \u201clong history of drug abuse,\u201d according to a death certificate reviewed by Women\u2019s Health. She was just 43 years old and left behind three children, the youngest one 12.<\/p>\n \u201cWe always told her, \u2018It\u2019s going to kill you,\u2019\u201d Kathy Jo says. \u201cBut in the back of my mind, I just really didn\u2019t expect her to die.\u201d<\/p>\n Against this backdrop, the American Kratom Association is working to combat the notion that kratom alone kills people. <\/p>\n Haddow suggests that the death statistics may be misleading because oftentimes there are other lethal substances involved. And if there are dangerous kratom products out there, it\u2019s because they\u2019re likely \u201cspiked,\u201d he says. \u201cEvery autopsy report that we\u2019ve been given access to, none of them have been kratom-only,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019re still searching for that. It\u2019s like a sniper-hunt search for the one that\u2019s kratom-only.\u201d <\/p>\n Back in 2016, <\/strong>the DEA announced its intention to classify the active compounds in kratom\u2014mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine\u2014as Schedule I drugs<\/a>, meaning the agency considered them to have a \u201chigh potential for abuse and the potential to create severe psychological and\/or physical dependence.\u201d But after a public outcry and a letter signed by dozens of members of Congress\u2014lobbied by Haddow, who highlighted the plant\u2019s potential for pain management and treating substance use disorder\u2014the FDA withdrew the notice. \u201cThe FDA has had a love-hate relationship with [kratom] for, basically, forever,\u201d McCurdy says. <\/p>\n But this summer, on July 29, U.S. Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a plan to restrict access to 7-OH, and FDA commissioner Martin Makary, MD, said his agency would start taking steps to schedule the drug, classifying it for its risks and benefits, according to The New York Times. Some companies, such as Martian Sales, which owns the trademark for the O.P.M.S. Black Liquid product, do not support the use of synthetically concentrated 7-OH in kratom products and cheered this announcement. \u201cWe applaud this enforcement action as a critical step for consumer protection,\u201d Martian Sales wrote in a drafted response to the FDA statement that it shared with Women\u2019s Health. \u201cWe encourage regulatory agencies and state officials to take aggressive action to remove these products from the market and safeguard the American public.\u201d <\/p>\n Today, kratom falls into a bit of a legal gray area, a product marketed as a supplement (which isn\u2019t subject to FDA approval like a prescription drug) yet sold at gas stations and smoke shops, says G. Caleb Alexander<\/a>, MD, a professor of epidemiology and medicine at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. \u201cThey\u2019re not medicinal products. They\u2019re not dietary supplements, and they\u2019re not food additives. They sort of fall into a bit of a regulatory no-man\u2019s-land,\u201d Dr. Alexander says. \u201cIt\u2019s very challenging for the Food and Drug Administration to regulate and prevent use of these unapproved drug products.\u201d<\/p>\n Chelsea Kyle<\/p>\n The FDA has published several statements warning the public about the dangers of kratom, advising consumers to avoid O.P.M.S. Black Liquid Kratom in 2024, noting that the agency had recently received \u201can adverse event report of a person who died\u201d after using it. In response, a complaint filed by Martian Sales claims that the product \u201ccontains unadulterated kratom\u201d which is \u201cmanufactured using the safest and most effective technique to extract the entire, full-spectrum alkaloid profile found in the kratom leaf.\u201d <\/p>\n The complaint goes on to say that \u201ceach batch of O.P.M.S. Black is rigorously tested to ensure only the highest quality product\u201d and that the product \u201chas an exemplary safety record, having been consumed by millions of people with no conclusive reports of adverse effects.\u201d It also claims that the same warning \u201cstated, without citation to evidence or support, that O.P.M.S. Black \u2018has been linked to serious adverse health effects, including death,\u2019\u201d and didn\u2019t provide \u201cany data or evidence that O.P.M.S. Black caused the purported adverse event.\u201d Specifically, the complaint cites an inspection in August of 2024 in which the FDA informed the distributor that to the agency\u2019s knowledge, the alleged death referenced in its warning \u201cwas based on an anonymous call to [the] FDA and FDA actually had no specific information associating O.P.M.S. Black to the death.\u201d Martian Sales felt that the FDA had \u201csingle[d] out and punish[ed]\u201d the company \u201cthrough a targeted publicity campaign that lacks a foundation in science and data and recklessly and purposefully disseminates damaging accusations.\u201d <\/p>\n The agency had previously issued an import alert, turning away at least 1,150 kratom shipments, largely from Indonesia, between 2015 and 2023, the 2023 Tampa Bay Times investigation found. To get around the alert, suppliers (typically import businesses that then ship the powder all over the country) either lie about the contents of the shipment or say it\u2019s \u201cnot for human consumption.\u201d <\/p>\n So far, without more sweeping federal action, regulation has been left to the states. Currently, mitragynine, hydroxymitragynine, and 7-hydroxymitragynine products are banned in six states\u2014Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin\u2014while synthetic versions of the compounds are banned in Tennessee, and local governments have enacted bans in Sarasota County, Florida, and San Diego. <\/p>\n Meanwhile, several states\u2014with the help of Haddow\u2014have introduced or passed Kratom Consumer Protection Acts, laws that include regulating the sale of kratom to minors, setting standards to ensure that products are not adulterated, and ensuring proper labeling. Four states have upper limits on 7-OH, but none of the states where mitragynine is legal to sell have set limits on the compound, according to a 2023 Congressional Research Service report<\/a>.<\/p>\n Scientists who study <\/strong>kratom generally agree that they don\u2019t want an outright ban or Schedule I status because that would ultimately make it a lot more difficult to research. But they also agree that there should be legal limits on mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine content in products. <\/p>\n What those limits should be? No one can say, exactly\u2014more studies are needed seems to be the common refrain. <\/p>\n On the other hand, everyone\u2014even lobbyists like Haddow\u2014agrees that 7-OH products are a major concern. On July 15, the FDA announced it had sent warning letters to companies illegally marketing 7-OH products. The American Kratom Association suggests<\/a> that any item in which 7-hydroxymitragynine makes up more than 2 percent of its total alkaloid content shouldn\u2019t be labeled a kratom product at all.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re essentially drugs. They need to be studied and vetted as a drug would be, because they\u2019re no longer a natural product\u2014they\u2019ve been manipulated to that point by chemical synthesis,\u201d McCurdy says. \u201cThose are the kinds of things I think we would all be happy to see disappear. But the genie\u2019s out of the bottle, and I don\u2019t know that it\u2019s going to be put back anytime soon.\u201d<\/p>\n Regulations on kratom products, specifically 7-OHs, seem to slowly be arriving, with Dr. Makary now pushing forward in attempts to better control the substance.<\/p>\n In 2023, the American Kratom Association successfully lobbied for a federal Kratom Consumer Protection Act to be introduced in Congress<\/a>; the bill would have required the FDA and the Department of Health and Human Services to hold a hearing and establish a task force on the health and safety of kratom products. But the bill would also have prohibited the agency from \u201cregulating kratom products in a manner that is more restrictive as compared to regulations for food, dietary supplements, or dietary ingredients.\u201d<\/p>\n Haddow says the bill\u2019s sponsors plan on refiling it in the new Congress. <\/p>\n At the same <\/strong>time, a number of lawsuits continue to target companies that make kratom products or the shops that sell them. In 2023, the family of Krystal Talavera, a 39-year-old Florida mother of four who died after taking kratom extract powder sold with a handwritten label, was awarded $11 million<\/a> as a default judgment in a wrongful death lawsuit. Similar suits are happening across the country, from families in Oregon<\/a>, Texas, Louisiana<\/a>, and other states, and they could encourage companies to add more accurate labels and warnings to kratom products. <\/p>\n And Botanic Tonics, the maker of Feel Free\u2014which Jasmine, Taylor, and Kristen all found themselves suddenly dependent on\u2014recently settled a class-action suit for $8.75 million, pending final court approval, according to documents reviewed by Women\u2019s Health. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re hopeful that this settlement will be able to offer anyone who has felt like they\u2019ve been affected by Feel Free some amount of compensation for what\u2019s happened,\u201d says Arns Davis Law partner Shounak Dharap, a lawyer for the plaintiffs. \u201cThe stories we\u2019ve heard have been very traumatic for the folks who had to go through this.\u201d A representative for Botanic Tonics says that the company \u201ctakes the allegations in the 2023 class-action lawsuit seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of us thought that this was a great alternative to alcohol, and it\u2019s marketed that way. It completely targeted me and I fell for it, hook, line, and sinker.\u201d \u201cIn the early days of our company, we followed the legal requirements and industry standards for labeling and marketing our products,\u201d the representative tells Women\u2019s Health. \u201cHowever, we have since realized that these standards were insufficient and may have misled consumers. We deeply regret any confusion or harm that our past marketing practices may have caused.\u201d The company claims it has enhanced its labeling and is exceeding all requirements.<\/p>\n Per the settlement, all Feel Free bottles and social media posts must now come with a label reading \u201cWarning: This product contains leaf kratom which can become habit-forming and cause serious adverse health effects. Consider avoiding this product if you have a history of substance abuse.\u201d <\/p>\n The Botanic Tonics representative notes that the company has already put a similar label on its bottles. That warning, however, says that Feel Free can be \u201chabit-forming if consumed irresponsibly\u201d and advises consumers with a history of substance abuse to avoid \u201cany potentially habit-forming\u201d substances. The company has also raised the minimum age of purchase to 21, has shared information about the ingredients in Feel Free on its website, and supports appropriate regulation of the kratom industry, including state and federal Kratom Consumer Protection Acts.<\/p>\n For now, many who have found themselves dependent on kratom products have been left to quit or find help on their own. After a year and a half of drinking kratom beverages, Jasmine quit cold turkey, and in the midst of her withdrawal, she finally opened up about her addiction to her mom and her now husband. Taylor has been slowly tapering off\u2014and experiencing nausea, headaches, restlessness, and more. For the first time in months, her bank account is no longer overdrawn.<\/p>\n\n
\u2014Jasmine Adeoye<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n![\"breaker\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/kratom-breaker-68cb0c45b3fea.jpg\" "\\"breaker\\"")
A Powerful Plant Hiding in Plain Sight <\/strong><\/p>\n![\"kratom\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/whm080125-an2025-kratom-004-68cc0fb550650.jpg\" "\\"kratom\\"")
<\/p>\nDosage Differences\u2014and Debates <\/strong><\/p>\n![\"40%](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/kratom-stats2-68cc743f782f1.jpg\" "\\"40%")
<\/p>\nBecoming Unknowingly Addicted<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
\u2014Alison Tarlow, PsyD<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\nJust Consequences or Deadly Consequences? <\/strong><\/p>\n![\"87%](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/kratom-stats3-68cc74b7e6740.jpg\" "\\"87%")
<\/p>\nA Legal Loophole<\/strong><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n![\"kratom\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/whm080125-an2025-kratom-003-68cc101b15974.jpg\" "\\"kratom\\"")
<\/p>\nAn Uncertain Future<\/strong><\/p>\nTaking Matters into Their Own Hands <\/strong><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n\n
\u2014Kristen Sweeney Avila<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n