New kratom “purported-death” reports still leave more questions than answers
The government’s data has previously failed to make a compelling argument that kratom actually kills people, and the new cases don’t offer much support… [Jane Babin, an attorney and molecular biologist who’s been investigating kratom death reports.] expressed concern [however] that confusion [and misleading news reports are] leading health officials to blame kratom for any death where mitragynine is present…
HuffPost obtained more than a dozen autopsy reports from Florida and Michigan, and discovered questionable findings that suggest claims about kratom’s killer potential are still being overstated, or at least vastly oversimplified. All of the individuals in those reports tested positive for other substances in addition to mitragynine. Many of the people had taken numerous substances, sometimes including potent opioids with well-established risks. A review of nine of the kratom deaths in Mittleman’s Florida district highlights these gaps. All of the cases… came back positive for multiple substances. A handful of the deaths were also determined to have been unrelated to kratom ― a drowning, a death due to illness and another due to a heart condition. Because mitragynine was in these individuals’ systems at the time of death, medical examiners included them in a broader group of kratom-“associated” deaths, as they might if it were another substance…. many members of the vocal online kratom community say they suffer from severe medical conditions that they’ve been unable to treat effectively with prescription drugs alone. Others have struggled with addiction or other negative side effects stemming from prescription drugs for chronic pain or other ailments. With kratom, they say, they’ve found something that works for them. If it’s banned, many consumers say they’ll be forced back onto ineffective or problematic medications, or back to potentially deadly opioids.
Original Article (Huff Post):
New Kratom “Death” Reports Still Leave More Questions Than Answers
Artwork Fair Use: Tirone Giuseppe
