Coroner Warns of Kratom’s Serious Health Risks

Anderson County Coroner Greg Shore is urging community members to be aware of the serious and potentially deadly risks associated with kratom, also known as 7-OH or 7-Hydroxymitragynine.

Marketed as a natural stimulant or pain reliever and sold in gas stations, smoke shops, and online in forms such as capsules, liquids, powders, and extracts, kratom can act as both a stimulant and an opioid-like depressant. When taken in higher doses or combined with other substances, it can cause respiratory distress, organ failure, or death.

The warning follows multiple deaths in Anderson County in which kratom was determined to be a contributing factor, often involving polysubstance abuse. Since kratom is unregulated, users may unknowingly consume dangerously high concentrations.

Coroner Shore emphasized, “Our mission is to save lives through awareness, and although the number of kratom-related deaths in our county is not high at this moment, we want the community to understand the dangers so that families don’t have to endure the tragedies that we see every day.”