South Florida family sues kratom seller over son’s fatal overdose

Side effects related to the nervous system include hallucinations, delusions, depression, confusion and Wi Doc trouble breathing. The ban comes after similar ordinances approved in Newport Beach, San Diego and Oceanside, among other cities. Among those who spoke for the ban was Susie and Roger Bullard of Tipp City, whose 27-year-old son Philip died in November 2024. All felony drug cases in Arkansas require seized evidence to be sent to the state’s crime lab.

• Based on these findings, experts are calling for closer monitoring of kratom products and increased public education.
• Live the product keep doing what ur doing
• A lesser known therapeutic use of kratom is to reduce cravings for opioids and other substances.
• It’s uncommon for kratom to cause major toxic effects, but when people ingest large amounts or combine it with other drugs, they may experience hallucinogenic reactions, convulsions, coma and, in rare cases, death, Clark warned.
• According to recent news, Florida’s AG Attorney General banned concentrated 7-OH products, although kratom remains mostly legal.

What is kratom used for?

This makes Rhode Island the first state to move from a full ban to regulated access. These enforcement actions signal increased federal scrutiny, regardless of whether scheduling moves forward. In July 2025, the FDA formally recommended that the DEA place 7-hydroxymitragynine on Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. Kratom and its alkaloids remain unscheduled at the federal level, but that status is currently under active review. Appreciating this distinction is critical to understanding the legal landscape.

Brandon Clarke said it’s ‘just kratom.’ His death has the substance under scrutiny.

Now, the state's decision makes it illegal to sell 7-OH in Florida. We need regulation and public education to prevent another wave of the opioid epidemic.” After the last wave of the opioid epidemic, we cannot get caught flat-footed again,” Makary stated last month. Kratom is also often used to self-treat conditions such as pain, coughing, diarrhea, anxiety and depression, according to the FDA. According to the FDA, “7-OH is increasingly recognized as having the potential for abuse because of its ability to bind to opioid receptors.” He was joined at Wednesday's news conference by Dr. Marty Makary, the FDA's Commissioner of Food and Drugs.

• Drew Mann, chairman of Renew Clinic, said he hopes people who are struggling with kratom withdrawal visit them or any rehab to get help before it’s too late.
• CBD Kratom is one of nearly two dozen kratom companies under investigation by Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway.
• Earlier in Thursday’s meeting, people spoke for and against the ban.
• Athletes, team executives and training staff in the NFL, NBA and MLB told the Athletic they had never heard of kratom or did not believe it was commonly used.
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• Currently, the legality of Kratom in the United States varies based on the state.

OPIA Kratom

The office would not disclose whether it will test for kratom, though it has screened for the plant’s active components in past death investigations. That amount of kratom wouldn’t be considered excessive or unusual, said Mac Haddow, a senior fellow on public policy for the American Kratom Association, a consumer group that advocates for states to regulate kratom, not ban it. There, the 235 grams of kratom and 7-OH deputies said they found inside Clarke’s duffel bag carried the weight of a felony drug trafficking charge, one prosecutors put on par with heroin possession. Beginning July 1, however, Tennessee will join two dozen other states in banning or restricting kratom. Once dismissed as “unproven,” kratom is finally being recognized as a potential solution to one of America’s biggest health problems.

Any federal action would appear on this tracker under the federal category. Click a state to jump to its bills, or see the full legality guide. California enforces a de-facto commercial ban via CDPH rule. Notice of federal funding and federal disclaimer. During the next legislative session in January 2026, lawmakers will have to codify the ban on 7-OH.