Free Republic

OXFORD, Miss. – An Ole Miss student says she was drugged at a bar over the weekend, days before two students were found dead, as bars around Oxford tighten security with fears running rampant through the college town. Lafayette County Metro Narcotics said in a news release that investigators are looking into the deaths of two college-aged individuals whose bodies were discovered at separate locations. Authorities have not established a connection between the deaths, though packaged kratom purchased from a retail store was recovered in each investigation. "We do not have confirmed information indicating that kratom or any other substance...

Two University of Mississippi students were found dead Monday in separate incidents – and packaged kratom was found at both scenes, authorities said. The probe into the mysterious deaths is being led by the Lafayette County Metro Narcotics team, who said Tuesday the cases are not believed to be connected. “Law enforcement is currently conducting two separate death investigations. At this time, we have no confirmed evidence indicating that the two deaths are connected,” the agency said. Kratom, a herbal substance that acts as a stimulant in small doses and an opioid-like sedative in higher amounts, was found in both...

Four innocent children were deliberately drugged and murdered by their own mother and grandmother in a sickening murder-suicide plot allegedly driven by a bitter custody dispute, according to investigators. The children, Harper Harmon, 13; Hudson Harmon, 11; and 10-year-old twins Gavin and Gracelynn Harmon, were found dead alongside their mother, Sarah Myers, 44, and grandmother, Amy Steadman, 64, inside Steadman’s apartment in Mechanicville, New York, on June 23. Investigators believe the children were murdered on June 10, nearly two weeks before their decomposing bodies were discovered during a welfare check. Now, toxicology results have revealed that diphenhydramine, the active ingredient...

Four upstate New York children who were poisoned and killed by their mother and grandmother had an allergy medication that induces drowsiness and kratom in their systems, according to a new report. The disturbing details into the horrific June murder-suicide in Mechanicsville were revealed in a toxicology report, sources told NewsChannel 13. Harper Harmon, 13, and his three younger siblings — Hudson, 11; Gracelynn, 10; and Gavin, 10 — were all given kratom and diphenhydramine, the ingredient in Benadryl, before they died, according to the report. Kratom — also known as “gas station heroin” — is a psychoactive herbal extract...

We went undercover inside smoke shops and bodegas across New York City to answer a simple question: Would retailers accept taxpayer-funded EBT benefits to pay for alcohol or drugs? Store after store attempted to process EBT cards for kratom, a psychoactive substance that is not eligible for purchase with SNAP or EBT benefits. One clerk attempted to process the purchase as “EBT Cash.” Another processed it as “EBT Food”, treating kratom as if it were groceries. Federal law 7 CFR 278 and 7 U.S.C 2012 prohibits retailers from accepting SNAP or EBT benefits for non-food items, including drugs, alcohol, and...

Newly released bodycam footage is shedding light on the final weeks of NBA player Brandon Clarke. The video shows the 29-year-old’s April arrest in Arkansas on speeding and drug possession charges—just six weeks before he was found dead in Los Angeles, reported CBS. Police say Clarke was carrying kratom, a leaf-derived supplement frequently sold as an energy booster or pain reliever— better known as “gas station heroin.” While Clarke’s official cause of death is still under investigation, the footage has renewed national scrutiny over the safety of kratom, a substance the FDA has repeatedly warned the public about. He was...

A former Barack Obama press secretary was fired from his chief communications role in Minneapolis after allegedly stealing cash and credit cards from city employees to fuel his habit for kratom — a natural drug used to treat opioid withdrawal. Adam Fetcher, 42, was canned from his role as Chief Communications Officer (CCO) for the City of Minneapolis after just a year on the job amid a police investigation into internal workplace theft and fraud, as well as claims of substance abuse, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported. Fetcher, who made nearly $200,000 a year, is accused of stealing cash and...

Stay-at-home mom Bari Sinoyannis thought she was buying a natural, plant-based alternative to pain relievers when she picked up kratom powder at a North Carolina smoke shop in 2022. “The fact that it’s labeled as a natural alternative to pain medication was why I fell for it. I was like, you know what? I’m gonna try it. And pretty much immediately I was addicted,” the 37-year-old told The Post. “I was like, oh, this is a miracle drug. This is curing my pain. This is curing my depression. Everything’s better now. Until it wasn’t.” What Sinoyannis didn’t know is that,...

BRANFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — What’s known to some as “gas station heroin” will officially be illegal in Connecticut to manufacture or sell.Kratom has been described by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as more potent than morphine and, at times, addictive like opioids. Starting Wednesday, Kratom will be classified as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, meaning it’s going to be banned from gas stations, convenience stores, vape shops, and other businesses in Connecticut.

Kratom pills and drinks have been openly sold across California for years, but a recent crackdown by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration is shutting down the sale of the popular painkillers, resulting in over 3,300 products seized in three weeks and $5 million worth of product taken off shelves.

Marketed as a natural wellness product and widely available, 7-OH seemed like a viable alternative for Hayden resident Kevin McAuliffe to use as an energy and mood booster. However, McAuliffe said it became “absolutely impossible for me to ween off 7-OH because basically I became highly addicted to it, and I was waking up in the middle of night with withdrawal symptoms.” “I was having extreme health side effects,” McAuliffe said of the product 7-Hydroxymitragynine, known as 7-OH, which is a chemically concentrated derivative of the kratom plant. Addiction treatment professionals, UCHealth physicians, valley residents and the U.S. Food and...

MAP & PDF LINK AT SITE................ The FDA is cracking down on a potent compound found in kratom supplements: 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH. Why it matters: Products with 7-OH — which acts like an opioid and has been dubbed "legal morphine" by researchers — have surged in popularity. What they're saying: "7-OH is a compound found naturally in the kratom plant. In carefully measured formulations, many users report it helps with pain, mood, and withdrawal, without the side effects of opioids," Jeff Smith, National Policy Director at the Holistic Alternative Recovery Trust (HART), said in a statement last month. "Of course,...

The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday recommended classifying 7-OH, a compound with opioid-like effects found in unregulated tablets, gummies and drink mixes sold in gas stations and convenience stores, as an illicit substance. Such a move by the Justice Department would restrict or prohibit access to the products, which are also currently sold online. The chemical, formally known as 7-hydroxymitragynine, is often marketed as a way to help people relax, relieve pain or improve their mood or focus. But studies suggest it’s more potent than morphine, and the FDA has warned it could damage the heart or liver and...

A Hernando High School teacher and football coach was arrested last week after police say he gave a student Kratom. Kratom is a drug that, in low doses, produces stimulant-like effects like high energy and increased alertness. In high doses, it can act as a sedative. The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office said on May 9, a school resource deputy responded to a classroom where a 17-year-old student was having a medical emergency. The student was unresponsive, had a rapid pulse, shallow breathing and was hot to the touch, the deputy said. He performed a sternum rub on the student, who...

Reports of deadly overdoses have surfaced in recent yearsMontana lawmakers are grappling with how -- if at all -- the state should rein in kratom, an unregulated plant-derived substance with addictive properties sold mainly as a mood and energy booster at gas stations, vape shops, and elsewhere. Kratom, which originates from the leaves of a tree native to Southeast Asia, is also touted for helping relieve pain and opioid withdrawal symptoms. But it can have wide-ranging mental and bodily effects, according to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), addiction medicine experts, and kratom researchers. Reports of deadly kratom overdosesopens in...

From turmeric to green tea, many botanicals we commonly use as herbal remedies pose a threat to our liver if we indulge too much. A new survey from the University of Michigan estimates up to 18.6 million people in the US make use of at least one of these herbal remedies with liver-damaging potential. When used in moderation, herbs like green tea and other plant-based supplements can provide us with benefits. In concentrated forms, such as capsules, it's easier to overdose on them. Hospitalizations due to herbally-induced liver problems are increasing globally. "The safety and efficacy of herbal and dietary...

Thailand has decriminalized the possession and sale of kratom, a plant that's native to Southeast Asia whose leaves are used as a mild stimulant and painkillerThailand on Tuesday decriminalized the possession and sale of kratom, a plant native to Southeast Asia whose leaves are used as a mild stimulant and painkiller and which has a following in the United States for its pain-relieving qualities. Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said thousands of legal cases for the possession or sale of kratom were being dropped, and 121 inmates convicted in such cases would be released immediately. Possession of kratom had been punishable...

What is kratom? And why is it being promoted as a ‘wellness’ product to our kids? My college-age son called me recently and asked me about “kratom,” saying that it was all over campus and even some of his friends were trying it. Thankfully, I got the phone call asking about what it was rather than him just hopping on the bandwagon of trying the latest trend. “What is it?” he asked. And for once, I had to admit, that although I had heard of it, I didn’t know much else about it. This concerned me on many levels. How...

A government report released Thursday said kratom was a cause in 91 overdose deaths in 27 states. Officials previously said they knew of 44 nationally. Most who died had also taken heroin, fentanyl or other drugs. But kratom was the only substance detected in seven of the deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the numbers after combing through death certificates and toxicology reports from an 18-month period. Kratom comes from a plant native to Southeast Asia. It is sold in capsules and powders with claims that it helps ease pain, anxiety and drug dependence.

Maybe you’ve never heard of kratom — a plant from Southeast Asia with large, green leaves that are dried, powdered and taken as a drug with mild, opioid-like effects. Kratom has been used in Asia for generations — usually chewed or brewed into a tea — as a tonic, painkiller and an aid for people weaning themselves off opium. It can be bought in powder or capsule form at smoke shops across the country. But dedicated kratom users might want to stock up. As soon as Friday, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) says it will classify kratom as a...