A report recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that kratom, a widely available herbal supplement, was found to be the a cause of at least 91 overdose deaths in the U.S. between 2016 and 2017.

Kratom, which has been marketed as a “natural” alternative to prescription opioid medications, has been flagged as having similar effects on brain receptors as opioids and “appears to have properties that expose users to the risks of addiction, abuse and dependence” according to the Federal Drug Administration (FDA).

As of April 2019, kratom was not scheduled as a controlled substance and has no FDA-approved uses. It is legal at a federal level, although it has been banned in several states and cities, and has been labeled a “drug of concern” by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Cordant Health Solutions™ drug testing solutions can help increase visibility into potentially high-risk patient behavior, enabling early detection of unexpected prescription or illicit drugs, including kratom. Contact us to learn more about Cordant’s testing options.

Kratom was also linked to a salmonella outbreak in 2018 that affected 199 people across 41 states, resulting in 50 hospitalizations.

Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/mm6814a2.htm 
https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/PublicHealthFocus/ucm584952.htm  
https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/kratom-02-18/index.html