Coroners in Butler, Warren and Hamilton counties say they’re increasingly seeing the herbal compound kratom showing up in postmortem toxicology results. It’s an unregulated substance that can produce opioid- and stimulant-like effects.
“In the region in the last couple of months, about 14 suspected cases involving kratom and kratom alkaloids,” have occurred, according to Hamilton County Coroner Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco.
Leaders in some states, including Ohio and Kentucky, have called for banning kratom and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) products. They’re widely available across the country, often found in smoke shops, convenience stores, and gas stations, and have been called highly addicted by the Food and Drug Administration, which has warned they could lead to the next wave of the opioid epidemic…