According to several lawsuits filed in the US, people are dying after overdosing on an herbal supplement called kratom, which is derived from a Southeast Asian coffee-related plant. Herbal tea made from the plant can act as a stimulant, relieve pain, and even treat symptoms of opioid withdrawal, as NPR reports. But in higher doses, […]
or for drug withdrawal. but pharmacologists worry about its opiate like effects. the fda has found that kratom poses risks of addiction, abuse, and dependence. the moment someone says we have a wonder drug is the moment i know they re lawyering. reporter: these lawyers represent ethan pope s family. ethan s official cause of death, cardiac arrest due to matrangena or kratom intoxication. the pope s wrongful death suit targets a weapon of kratom companies and their owners, alleging a deadly product that s insidiously addictive. this entire industry is based on hiding. who they are, what they re making, what they re selling and what you re taking, period. the american kratom association, the industry s consumer advocacy group, declined comment on the pope case pending litigation, and in a statement to us says it advocates for regulations on the products so they re manufactured using good manufacturing
many of them swear by what s become a billion dollar industry in this country. but kratom products are also controversial, marketed as something of a wonder drug, but banned by u.s. imports since 2014 and blame bid critics for everything from addiction to death. ethan pope was 23. healthy, adventurous, but dead. six months after this video was shot. i think both of us wanted to just crawl under a rock, not talk to anybody. reporter: it s a hole in your heart. it s a hole in your heart, for sure. still. reporter: john and dana pope, ethan s parents. what did the toxicology report say? said kratom toxicity. i didn t know what kratom was. had no idea he was taking anything. reporter: it s an herbal supplement extracted from a leaf of a southeast asian tree. many places sell it, even gas stations. consumers use them for an energy boost or to treat pain, anxiety,
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