Kratom has been widely marketed as a “natural” solution for pain relief and opioid withdrawal, but growing evidence shows that this substance carries serious and potentially life-threatening risks.
Recent national data reflect a sharp rise in kratom poisonings and adverse health events, reinforcing the concerns that led Louisiana to ban the substance in 2025. While kratom is no longer legally sold in the state, the factors that made it dangerous in the first place have not gone away.
Understanding the risks of kratom and your legal rights after an injury or wrongful death of a loved one is more important than ever.
What Is Kratom and Why Is It Dangerous?
Kratom is a plant-derived substance that affects the same receptors in the brain as opioids. At lower doses, it can act as a stimulant, but at higher doses, it can produce sedative and opioid-like effects. It has been sold in powders, capsules, teas, and highly concentrated extracts, often without consistent labeling or quality control.
Despite the powerful effects of kratom and its widespread use, it has never been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for any medical use. That lack of approval is significant because it means kratom products entered the marketplace without the safety testing, dosing standards, or manufacturing controls required for approved drugs.
As a result, consumers are often exposed to products that:
- Vary significantly in strength from batch to batch
- Contain undisclosed additives
- Are contaminated with substances such as heavy metals or bacteria
Public health agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), have warned that these inconsistencies can increase the risk of overdose, dependency, and dangerous drug interactions, particularly when kratom is used alongside opioids or other medications.
Why Kratom Poisonings Are Increasing
The rise in kratom injuries is not simply due to increased use, but reflects deeper problems in how the product has been marketed and sold.
Kratom has often been promoted as a safe or “natural” alternative to opioids, leading many individuals to use it for self-treatment of pain, anxiety, or withdrawal symptoms without medical supervision. At the same time, the lack of federal regulation has allowed a highly inconsistent marketplace to develop.
Products labeled as kratom can vary widely in potency. Some extracts are far more concentrated than traditional forms, increasing the risk of unintentional overdose. Testing has also revealed contamination in certain products, including bacteria and undisclosed substances.
Another major factor is that kratom is frequently used alongside prescription medications or other drugs, which can significantly increase the risk of serious or fatal outcomes. Recent national reporting, including coverage by U.S. News & World Report, shows a dramatic rise in poison control calls and adverse events linked to kratom over the past decade.
Taken together, these factors create a situation where consumers often do not know exactly what they are taking or how dangerous it may be.
Louisiana’s Kratom Ban and What It Means
In August 2025, Louisiana enacted a statewide ban on kratom, making it illegal to possess, sell, or distribute the substance. The law reflects a growing recognition that kratom presents risks similar to other controlled substances when sold without oversight.
However, the ban does not eliminate the underlying dangers.
Kratom remains available in other states and can still be purchased online through out-of-state sellers. In some cases, these sources operate with even less transparency than traditional retail outlets, increasing the risk of contaminated or mislabeled products.
For consumers, this means that while access may be more limited, the risks associated with kratom have not disappeared, and may, in some situations, be even harder to identify.
Recognizing a Kratom Injury and What to Do Next
Kratom poisoning is not always immediately recognized. Symptoms can vary depending on dosage, product strength, and whether other substances are involved.
Common warning signs may include:
- Rapid or irregular heartbeat
- Severe nausea or vomiting
- Confusion, agitation, or hallucinations
- Difficulty breathing or extreme drowsiness
- Seizures or loss of consciousness
If you or a loved one experiences these symptoms after using kratom, seek immediate medical attention.
If kratom may have contributed to an injury or death, taking the right steps early can also help protect your health and any potential legal claim. This includes:
- Seeking prompt medical care
- Preserving any remaining product or packaging
- Documenting symptoms and treatment
- Avoiding further use of the product
- Speaking with an attorney familiar with dangerous product claims
How HKGC Can Help After a Kratom Injury
When a product causes harm, the companies responsible for bringing it to market may be held accountable under product liability law.
Kratom lawsuits may involve allegations that a product was unsafe due to inadequate warnings, misleading marketing, or defective design. In some situations, liability may extend beyond the manufacturer to include distributors, retailers, or others in the supply chain. Even when kratom is purchased online or outside of Louisiana, determining who is responsible for injuries can become more complex, but not impossible.
These cases require careful investigation into how the product was produced, what risks were known, and whether those risks were properly disclosed to consumers.
At Herman, Katz, Gisleson & Cain, our Louisiana personal injury attorneys represent individuals and families harmed by dangerous products. As concerns about kratom continue to grow, our firm is closely monitoring developments and evaluating potential kratom claims.
If you or a loved one has been harmed, it’s important to understand your legal options. Holding manufacturers and distributors accountable can not only help you recover compensation but also play a role in preventing further harm to others. Contact us online or call 844-943-7626 for more information or a free, confidential kratom case consultation.
Other Kratom News
The Louisiana Legislature has passed a ban on kratom. Despite divided opinions, SB154 passed with bipartisan support, reflecting rising concern over kratom’s growing toll on Louisiana residents.
As more local governments in Louisiana and throughout the country realize the dangers of kratom, officials are moving to regulate its use or even ban it altogether.
Those who have lost loved ones to kratom-related fatalities are filing kratom lawsuits against manufacturers and retailers, claiming they failed to warn consumers of the risks.
At HKGC we are deeply committed to seeking justice for families devastated by the dangers of unregulated products like kratom. We recently filed one of the first kratom wrongful death lawsuits in Louisiana.
On October 30, 2024, after receiving the results of a toxicology report concerning a 36-year-old woman who died in his district, St. Tammany Parish coroner Christopher Tape made a public plea to residents to recognize that kratom can be lethal.
