Three Southwest Ohio coroners issued a joint warning on Monday, November 9, about kratom, an unregulated substance sold in stores across the region, saying they have counted 14 suspected overdoses involving the drug in the past several months, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer.
Hamilton County Coroner Lakshmi Sammarco, Butler County Coroner Lisa Mannix and Warren County Coroner Russell Uptegrove said overdose deaths involving fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and combinations of those drugs are trending down in each of their counties — but kratom cases are rising, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported. The Hamilton County Crime Lab found kratom in 38 seizure cases in 2026, after finding it in three cases in 2024 and none in 2025, according to data Sammarco provided to The Cincinnati Enquirer.
The coroners counted three overdose deaths involving kratom in Warren County and two in Butler County in 2026, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer. Kratom is commonly used to boost energy or mood or to combat opioid addiction, and concentrated forms are sold as pills, powders, drinks and gummies in convenience stores and vape shops…