A family in Washington is warning others about the risks of using kratom — a supplement you can buy at some gas stations — after their son died because of it.
In 2022, Jordan McKibban, 37, mixed kratom with his lemonade, according to his mother, Pam Mauldin. Later, she found him unconscious in his room and tried CPR, but he did not survive.
Kratom is sold as a natural supplement that some people use to help with pain, anxiety, or depression. For those who don’t want to take regular medicines, like Jordan, kratom can seem like a safer choice.
An autopsy showed Jordan died from a substance in kratom called mitragynine.
Kratom comes from a plant in Southeast Asia. It can act like a stimulant at low doses and a sedative at high doses.
You can buy kratom online and in stores legally. But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says kratom is not proven safe or effective for treating health problems and calls it a “drug of concern.”
Poison control centers reported 1,807 calls about kratom exposure between 2011 and 2017, and these calls are increasing. Some people who use kratom may become agitated or even experience psychosis, which is a loss of touch with reality.
Although deaths from kratom are rare, Jordan’s mother said people were told you can’t overdose on kratom — that if you take too much, you would just vomit. But Jordan’s kratom bags didn’t have any instructions or warnings.
“There have been hundreds of people killed from this, and they don’t take it off the market. The government doesn’t step in,” she said.
This might change soon. U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said in July that he plans to take action against kratom.
He explained that unlike heroin, which was hard to get, kratom is sold everywhere — even gas stations — and is marketed to kids as candy with bright colors and flavors.
He also talked about a stronger, more addictive version of kratom called 7-hydroxymitragynine.
Dr. Robert Levy, a doctor who treats addiction, told the New York Post that kratom can act like opioids. If taken in large amounts, people can get addicted, go through withdrawal, overdose, and ruin their lives.
The FDA recently recommended that 7-hydroxymitragynine be classified as an illegal drug. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said it can be even stronger than morphine, and we need rules and education to stop another opioid crisis.
Dr. Levy advised parents to talk to their kids and loved ones about kratom. Just because something is “all-natural” doesn’t mean it’s safe. He reminded people that arsenic, a poison, also comes from plants.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, Dr. Levy recommends seeking help and treatment.
