Oklahoma – Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond is warning people not to assume kratom is safe simply because the herbal product is sold legally in stores, following the deaths of two University of Mississippi students where packaged kratom was found during separate investigations.
“Don’t believe all kratom is safe just because it’s sold in a store,” Drummond said Sept. 23. “In heartbreaking incidents at the University of Mississippi, two student deaths are under investigation after packaged kratom was found. Toxicology results are pending, but this is an important reminder that there are serious risks associated with some forms of the herbal extract.”
Drummond’s warning came after authorities in Oxford, Mississippi, began investigating the deaths of two Ole Miss students found at separate locations. Investigators said packaged kratom purchased from a retail store was recovered during both death investigations, but officials have cautioned that they have not determined whether kratom caused or contributed to either death.
The two students were later identified as 18-year-old Aidan Hamilton, a freshman from Englewood, Colorado, and 20-year-old Robert Strang, a junior from Atlanta. Hamilton was found at an Ole Miss residence hall, while Strang was found at an off-campus location in Oxford, according to reports. Authorities have said the deaths are being investigated separately and have not established a connection between them, FOX News reported.
Lafayette County Metro Narcotics issued a warning after the packaged kratom was discovered, urging people to avoid kratom and other substances that were not prescribed or obtained from a trusted, regulated source. At the same time, investigators stressed that there was no confirmed evidence showing that kratom or another substance contributed to either student’s death.
The warning has brought renewed attention to kratom, an herbal product derived from the leaves of a Southeast Asian tree. Kratom products are commonly sold in forms including powders, capsules and extracts and have become increasingly available through retail stores, gas stations and other outlets.
The circumstances surrounding the Ole Miss deaths remain under investigation, and toxicology testing is expected to provide additional information. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said state agencies were helping expedite toxicology reports following the deaths, with officials working to obtain answers more quickly than the normal testing process can take.
Fox News reported Sept. 25 that toxicology reports could be completed as early as the following week. Mississippi officials said the results could help investigators determine whether substances played a role in the deaths. Authorities have also said they have not ruled out foul play while the investigations continue.
The deaths have also caused concern across the Ole Miss campus. The university confirmed that both victims were students and warned members of the campus community against relying on unverified information circulating on social media.
University officials said they were aware of rumors surrounding the deaths but urged students and others to wait for information from law enforcement and other official sources. The Daily Mississippian reported that several Greek organizations also issued warnings to members and canceled some social events following the deaths.
The issue has received attention beyond Mississippi because of growing questions about the safety and regulation of kratom products. Mississippi Today, citing the Associated Press, reported that a Mississippi drug task force urged the public to avoid kratom despite acknowledging that investigators had not confirmed the substance played a role in either death.
Drummond used the developments in Mississippi to issue a broader warning to Oklahomans, emphasizing that the fact that a product can be purchased from a store does not necessarily establish that it is safe.
“Know what you are putting in your body and don’t believe that something sold over-the-counter automatically means it’s safe,” Drummond said.
His comments did not establish that kratom caused the Ole Miss deaths. Instead, the Oklahoma attorney general pointed to the ongoing investigations and pending toxicology results as a reason for caution while authorities work to determine what happened.
As investigators in Mississippi await additional forensic results, officials continue to emphasize that the causes of the two students’ deaths have not been publicly established. The presence of packaged kratom at both locations remains a detail in the investigations, but authorities have not said that the product was responsible for either death.
AG Drummond urges caution among Oklahomans, says “don’t believe that something sold over-the-counter means it’s safe” after two student deaths where kratom was found at both scenes
