Kratom has made national headlines recently, and local law enforcement and health officials in Virginia are now raising alarms about the substance and its dangers.
In Mississippi, officials reported two Ole Miss students were found dead and that kratom was found at both scenes. In Virginia, Hanover County law enforcement released information warning people about a product derived from the plant.
Dr. John Downs with the Virginia Poison Center said the safety of kratom depends heavily on the dosage.
"Kratom is a product that is derived from a tree, essentially, the leaves of a tree," Downs said.
Originating in Southeast Asia, the plant is mostly sold in pill form in convenience stores. This includes a version made from only the concentrated chemical called 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH — a naturally occurring compound in the plant that has opioid-like effects.
Dr. Breslin, who specializes in addiction, said more potent versions of the substance have emerged.
"They've made way more potent versions of it. Potency to the level that it has an equivalency to heroin and fentanyl at this point," Breslin said.
Both Downs and Breslin said they have seen more and more patients related to 7-OH specifically.
"In 2025, we had had a little over 60 reported encounters for kratom-related products," Downs said.
Breslin said the frequency of cases has increased dramatically.
"It's one every two months about two years ago. Now it's 1 to 2 every week. So, it's becoming a more predominant drug of choice in the community," Breslin said.
Both doctors pointed to 7-OH's opioid-like impacts on the body as what makes it dangerous and potentially deadly.
"People are overdosing on kratom itself, um, more particularly 7-OH," Breslin said.
Downs said the speed at which these products entered the market has contributed to the danger.
"These are unregulated products, they came on the market very, very quickly, and there are certainly reports of people rapidly developing physical dependence," Downs said.
He also described how opioid toxicity can affect the body's most basic functions.
"If you are in toxic from an opioid, your body no longer knows to try to take a breath," Downs said.
Virginia banned 7-OH in May, but both doctors cautioned that products like it may still be found on store shelves. Breslin warned about the impact on younger users.
"We're creating a whole new wave of addiction with the younger population that just don't even know and they're ignorant of the long term effects," Breslin said.
Downs urged the public not to assume a product is safe simply because of how it is marketed.
"Just try to remind people that, you know, because something is labeled as natural, that doesn't necessarily mean that it's safe," Downs said.
