Deaths of 2 Ole Miss Students Cast Spotlight on Kratom

A drug task force in Mississippi is urging people to avoid kratom after authorities found packages of the substance while investigating the deaths of two Ole Miss students. The warning Tuesday came despite no "confirmed information" that kratom contributed to either death, Lafayette County Metro Narcotics said in a news release. The students were found Monday afternoon in different locations, one on campus and the other off campus, a University of Mississippi spokesperson said.

• The university on Thursday identified the students as Aidan Hamilton, an 18-year-old freshman from Englewood, Colorado, and Robert Strang, a 20-year-old junior from Atlanta, the AP reports. The school said in a statement that their families "have asked for privacy as they grieve."
• The Phi Delta Theta fraternity said Strang was a member, NBC News reports. "The loss of two young lives is a profound tragedy," the fraternity said in a statement. "Phi Delta Theta joins the University of Mississippi and the broader Ole Miss community in mourning Robert and Aidan Hamilton and extending our deepest sympathies to their families, friends, chapter brothers, classmates, and all those who knew and loved them."

US health officials and states have increasingly scrutinized kratom, an herbal extract that acts as a stimulant at low doses and a sedative at high doses, over the past decade. Kratom is legal at the federal level, but some state and local governments have banned the substance and federal authorities have issued warnings about its risks.

• Two state agencies were working to expedite toxicology reports for the students, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said in a statement Wednesday. "Mississippi is praying for the families and friends of the two Ole Miss students during this incredibly difficult time," Reeves said.
• Authorities said they had no evidence the deaths were connected but noted the kratom found at the scenes was sold at a retail store. Officials did not name the store or say whether any criminal charges would be filed. "Out of an abundance of caution, we encourage everyone to avoid kratom and any other medication or substance that was not prescribed to you or obtained from a trusted, regulated source," the task force's news release said.

• Kratom is extracted from a tree native to Southeast Asia. It is used in capsules, powders, and liquids that are often sold in gas stations or smoke shops. Proponents say that in its pure form, kratom is a safe, natural herbal supplement that can help manage pain, anxiety and depression and ease the effects of opioid withdrawal.
• Doctors who treat addiction, however, say people can quickly become dependent on it, leading to withdrawal symptoms. A US Food and Drug Administration webpage is blunt: Don't use it. The agency says it carries the risk of serious adverse effects, including liver toxicity, seizures, and substance use disorder. In rare cases, it's been associated with deaths, though kratom was usually used in combination with other drugs in those cases, and the contribution of kratom in the deaths is unclear, the agency says on its website.
• Eleven states have banned kratom. Others, including Mississippi, have regulated it, in part by requiring people to be 21 or older to buy it. Both the city of Oxford and Lafayette County, where the University of Mississippi is located, have bans in place.
• Despite the bans and restrictions, use of kratom in the US has increased, according to researchers at the University of Michigan and Texas State University. In a paper published this year, they found kratom use in the US was at an all-time high, with more than 5 million people saying they had used it in their lifetime. The group includes more than 100,000 children ages 12-17.