A family in Washington is raising alarms about kratom — a supplement that can be bought in some gas stations — after they say their son died from using it.
On the day Jordan McKibban, 37, died in 2022, he reportedly mixed kratom with his lemonade, according to his mother, Pam Mauldin, who spoke to the New York Post.
Kratom is marketed as an “all-natural” supplement that may help reduce pain, anxiety, and depression. For some people, like McKibban, who were cautious about prescription medicines, kratom can seem like a safer alternative.
Mauldin found her son unconscious in his room after he drank the kratom-lemonade mixture. She tried to perform CPR, but could not save him.
“I’ve lost my son. I’ve lost my grandchildren that I could have had. I’ve lost watching him walk down that aisle, watching him have a life I get to watch with my other kids. I’ve lost enjoying these years with him,” she told the New York Post.
An autopsy later showed that McKibban died from mitragynine, a chemical found in kratom.
Kratom comes from a Southeast Asian plant and can act as a stimulant in small doses or a sedative in larger doses. The substance can be bought legally in stores and online. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration notes that kratom hasn’t been proven safe or effective for treating any medical conditions and calls it a “drug of concern.”
National poison control centers recorded 1,807 calls about kratom exposure between 2011 and 2017, and the number of calls is rising, according to Dr. Michael Greco, who spoke to the New York Post. He warned that kratom can sometimes cause agitation and even psychosis in some users.
Despite this, deaths from kratom are uncommon. In McKibban’s case, he was told he could not overdose and would just vomit if he took too much, his mother said. She also noted that the kratom bags had no instructions or dosage guidelines.
“There have been hundreds of people killed from this, and they don’t pull it. The government doesn’t step in,” she said.
That may be starting to change. U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy Jr announced in late July that he plans to crack down on kratom.
“I became an addict because [heroin] was so available, but I had to go to the South Bronx or the Lower East Side. But now you can go to any gas station,” Kennedy told reporters on July 29. “They’re marketing them to children: They’re gummy bears, they’re bright colors, they’re candy-flavored. This is really a sinister, sinister industry.”
He was referring to a more addictive and potentially dangerous offshoot of kratom called 7-hydroxymitragynine.
Dr. Robert Levy, an addiction and family doctor, told the New York Post that kratom can have effects similar to opioids.
“There’s always been concern around kratom because if you take enough of it, kratom does act like an opioid. People can become addicted, experience withdrawal, overdose, and have their lives ruined, just like with any substance use disorder,” Levy said.
He added that the offshoot product, which is more addictive and risky, has spread in the market, and many consumers are unaware of the difference.
The FDA recently recommended that 7-hydroxymitragynine be classified as an illegal substance.
“7-OH is an opioid that can be more potent than morphine,” FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said in a press release. “We need regulation and public education to prevent another wave of the opioid epidemic.”
Levy suggested that parents talk to their children or loved ones about kratom and remind them that “all-natural” doesn’t always mean safe.
“Arsenic is also from a plant,” he said.
He encouraged anyone with a family member struggling with substance abuse to seek help through available resources and treatment programs.
