BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCIV) — State leaders, addiction counselors and public health officials gathered in Berkeley County this week to warn residents about the risks of kratom, a plant-based substance that has grown in popularity but is raising increasing safety concerns.
The town hall, hosted by state leaders and addiction advocates, focused on the drug’s potential for addiction, its unregulated derivatives and a growing number of overdose cases tied to its use.
Kratom, derived from a Southeast Asian plant, gained popularity in the 2010s and is sometimes used to manage chronic pain or ease opioid withdrawal. But experts at the meeting said newer, more concentrated forms of the substance are proving highly addictive and, in some cases, deadly…