Media has created a firestorm around kratom, even though there is no evidence kratom had anything to do with the September 21 death of two students at the University of Mississippi. Multiple media outlets incorrectly reported that “kratom packages” were found near the bodies of both students. This turned out not to be true. Police …
If you have more examples of media disinformation about kratom, please leave a link and a comment in the comment section below Two students at the University of Mississippi were found dead on September 21, 2026. A media firestorm resulted, and several outlets blamed kratom that was supposedly found near the bodies of the students. …
Media Drops Ball on Kratom Reporting After Ole Miss Deaths Read More »
“Styles had been on a ‘bender of various substances for a prolonged time’ before his death, the report noted. His parents had been checking on him hourly. He was last seen alive around 3 p.m. and was later discovered by his parents on August 20.” The above quote from an US Magazine article provides critical …
A recent case involving a 27-year-old Arizona woman who reportedly suffered heart failure after consuming kratom gummies has drawn national attention. The woman reportedly took the gummies for leg pain and only took them for one week. While the incident has been widely reported, many of the most important details remain unknown. One of the …
Arizona Kratom Gummy Case Leaves Key Questions Unanswered Read More »
When prohibition is enacted, the consequences rarely unfold in the neat, orderly way lawmakers imagine. Just two weeks underway, the July 1 kratom bans in Kansas and Tennessee offer a real‑time case study in how criminalization can destabilize entire communities overnight. In Kansas, the decision to classify kratom and 7‑hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) as Schedule I substances …
On July 6, the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) published a notice in the Federal Register that it intends to place 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) on Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. This is an emergency rule that would temporarily place covered 7-OH products in Schedule I for up to two years while the DEA …
DEA Announces Temporary 7-OH Ban; Public Comment Period Underway Read More »
In a study published June 30 in Clinical Toxicology, scientists found mitragynine, 7-hydroxymitragynine, and mitragynine-pseudoindoxyl in three liquid shot products being sold as “kava” in Alabama. Alabama law specifically lists mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine as Schedule I controlled substances. Though mitragynine-pseudoindoxyl is not specifically listed as a controlled substance in the state, it is controlled as …
Scientists Find Kratom Alkaloids in Products Marketed as Kava in Alabama Read More »
Beginning July 1, laws designating kratom as a Schedule I controlled substance will take effect in both Kansas and Tennessee. In March, Kansas legislators added a last-minute kratom ban into a bill having nothing to do with kratom (HB2365 originally entitled “Establishing the south central regional mental health hospital”). The bill passed both the Kansas …
Kratom Will Be Banned In Kansas and Tennessee Starting July 1 Read More »
On June 1, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that mitragynine, the most abundant alkaloid in kratom, has been cleared as an Investigational New Drug (IND). With IND status, scientists at University of Florida are now authorized to study the effects of pure mitragynine in human subjects. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Director …
NIH Approves Clinical Trials as Mitragynine Gets “Investigational New Drug” Status Read More »
Formally introduced on March 5, 2026 by Katherine Gilmore Richardson, proposed Philadelphia City Council legislation would impose strict licensing, testing, packaging, and approval requirements on kratom products sold in the city. Supporters of the bill argue the rules are necessary to address concerns about synthetic extracts, youth access, mislabeled products, and the growing number of …
Proposed Philadelphia Kratom Regulations Would be a Defacto Ban on Sales Read More »