Ole Miss student linked to kratom from raided Oxford shop; causes of two deaths pending
Court documents say Ole Miss freshman Aidan Hamilton bought kratom from an Oxford shop later raided by police. Causes of his and Robert Strang's deaths are undetermined, and a kratom-ban advocate is using the case to press for a federal ban.
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The story, neutrally told
Court documents say Aidan Hamilton, an 18-year-old University of Mississippi freshman found dead in his room, bought Smax Pseudo-DHM kratom from the Puffs smoke shop in Oxford on Sept. 9 and Sept. 14. New York PostR “Aidan Hamilton, 18, visited the Puffs smoke shop in Oxford on Sept. 9 and Sept. 14” Read at New York Post ↗ The shop has since been raided; more than 500 units of kratom, THC cartridges and other suspected narcotics were seized, and two staffers were arrested on a charge of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. New York PostR “More than 500 units of kratom, THC cartridges, and other suspected narcotics were seized at the store in Oxford” Read at New York Post ↗ According to the documents, a clerk warned undercover agents to be careful with the pills because "people were dying from them". New York PostR “to be careful taking the pills because people were dying from them” Read at New York Post ↗
Robert Strang, 20, was found dead the same day with a packet of Smax on his nightstand, bought at a different store in Yalobusha County; the documents also mention a Xanax bar and nitrous oxide cans. New York PostR “bought his from an Express Mart #7 store in Yalobusha County” Read at New York Post ↗ Kratom has been banned for sale in Oxford since 2019. New York PostR “kratom has been banned for sale since 2019” Read at New York Post ↗ Washington ExaminerR “Oxford has had one in place since 2019” Read at Washington Examiner ↗ Officially, the causes of both deaths are undetermined; toxicology results are expected within two weeks, and the New York Post says kratom's role is unclear. New York PostR “Strang and Hamilton’s causes of death are still being investigated and toxicology results are expected within two weeks.” Read at New York Post ↗ Washington ExaminerR “Local authorities have not yet made public official causes” Read at Washington Examiner ↗
In a Washington Examiner opinion piece, Kevin Sabet, head of the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions, cites CDC data of at least 5,208 kratom-involved overdose deaths from 2020 to 2024 and urges a federal ban on all forms. Washington ExaminerR “At least 5,208 overdose deaths from 2020 to 2024 involved kratom” Read at Washington Examiner ↗ He says the FDA's July plan to place concentrated 7-OH in Schedule I leaves natural kratom's mitragynine unaddressed, and blames the American Kratom Association's lobbying. Washington ExaminerR “it will leave a mile-wide loophole for the active compound in so-called “natural” or “whole plant” kratom, mitragynine.” Read at Washington Examiner ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right2 outlets
- Framing
- The New York Post runs a crime-and-court-documents report on the shop and purchases; the Washington Examiner runs an advocacy op-ed using the deaths to demand a federal ban.
- Emphasis
- The raided store, the clerk's warning, the drug's danger, and calls for federal action.
- Leaves out or plays down
- The op-ed gives little of the unresolved cause of death detail or the Post's mention of Xanax and nitrous oxide; the Post gives no view from kratom advocates.
- Charged language
- “gas-station heroin”“rank absurdity”“deadly misinformation”
- For example
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“It’s unclear what role kratom played in the students’ deaths.” — New York Post
“Kratom, be it synthetic or natural, kills and injures users and drives addiction.” — Washington Examiner
What every side reports
- Aidan Hamilton and Robert Strang, University of Mississippi students, died in Oxford.
- Kratom was found in connection with both deaths.
- Official causes of death have not been made public.
- Oxford has banned kratom sales since 2019.
Where accounts differ
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Whether kratom caused the deaths
- Right
- The New York Post says its role is unclear pending toxicology; the Washington Examiner op-ed concedes causes are unpublished but says it is increasingly possible they will join kratom's toll and blames industry lobbying.
Kratom topic
Presented as dangerous and addictive by the op-ed, which says it should be banned; the article criticizes the industry's claim that it is safe because natural.
“It’s touted as “safe” because it is “natural.” Yet that is rank absurdity.” — Washington Examiner
University of Mississippi organisation
The university has offered students counseling.
“Ole Miss students have been offered counseling by the university.” — New York Post
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right2 articles
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Tragic Ole Miss student bought Smax Pseudo-DHM kratom from raided store: court docs
Neutral Court-document-based report linking the student to the raided store while noting kratom's role is unclear.
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Washington ExaminerR · · Opinion
Alarmist Opinion piece by a ban advocate treating the deaths as evidence for an immediate federal kratom ban and blaming lobbying.
- 29 Sep 13:13 First New York PostR Tragic Ole Miss student bought Smax Pseudo-DHM kratom from raided store: court docs
- 30 Sep 14:55 +25h 42m Washington ExaminerR Two Ole Miss students are dead. How many more lives will ‘gas-station heroin’ take before Trump acts? Opinion
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.