The parents of a 23-year-old Georgia man who died after using kratom have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against about a dozen people, companies and organizations connected to the manufacturing, marketing and sale of the herbal supplement. Extracted from a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia, kratom is used to make capsules, powders and liquids and is marketed as an aid for pain, anxiety and drug dependence. A Georgia Bureau of Investigation autopsy found that Ethan Pope died from mitragynine intoxication. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says mitragynine is a psychoactive compound in kratom. The lawsuit was originally filed in May, and an expanded version was filed earlier this week.
The Georgia parents had never heard of kratom before their 23-year-old son was found dead on the kitchen floor last year with his puppy by his side. In his apartment, they found a to-do list with one task that stuck out: Stop taking kratom.