Utah warns of opioid-like kratom compounds in "cat's claw" products after four deaths

Left · 2Utah health officials issued an urgent public health warning on Monday after four deaths were linked to "high-potency" and illegal chemical compounds found in herbal supplements. 1 2 Left · 1The compounds are mitragynine pseudoindoxyl (MGPI) and dihydro-7-hydroxymitragynine (MGM-15), semi-synthetic derivatives of kratom that are illegal in Utah and that the Drug Enforcement Administration has recently classified as Schedule 1 drugs. 2 Left · 2Officials said the compounds turned up in certain herbal supplements, including kratom products and products labelled "cat's claw"; the Independent describes them as powerful opioids stronger than morphine. 2 1

Left · 1Cat's claw, a South American vine used by some people for its anti-inflammatory properties, is generally considered safe; NBC News reports that testing in these cases found the products contained MGPI and MGM-15. 2 Left · 2The warning said the products are often sold under brand names such as "Buzzers" and misleadingly labelled as containing cat's claw; labels often claim the product is legal and free of kratom while saying it is for adults 21 and over or produces strong psychoactive effects. 2 1 Left · 1Dr Michael Moss, medical director of the Utah Poison Control Center, said: "No one should take these products, retailers should not sell them, and healthcare providers should be aware of potential for addiction, withdrawal, and overdose related to their use." 2

Left · 2The two outlets differ on the link to Buzzers: the Independent says Utah reported one death tied to a mislabelled Buzzers product in July, while NBC News says the warning does not directly link Buzzers products to the deaths. 1 2 Left · 2Exo Club, which makes Buzzers, did not immediately respond to requests for comment; NBC News reports its website says the product does not contain kratom but that it extracts an indole alkaloid from the cat's claw plant "to mirror the effects of popular kratom products". 2 1 Left · 1Neither kratom nor cat's claw is approved by the Food and Drug Administration, yet both are sold in places such as convenience stores, smoke shops and gas stations; only pure, natural leaf kratom is legally sold in Utah. 1

Left · 2The warning follows the September deaths of two University of Mississippi students, 18-year-old Aidan Hamilton and 20-year-old Robert Strang, who were found with packaged kratom at separate scenes; it is unclear whether kratom contributed, but federal prosecutors said both deaths appear consistent with drug overdoses, and a store owner and his son have been charged with selling the kratom. 1 2 Left · 1Other states have issued similar warnings: Tennessee did so in September after its Bureau of Investigation found MGM-15 in cat's claw products, and Virginia's Blue Ridge Poison Center has received calls about cat's claw products causing opioid-like effects. 2 Left · 2On the scale of kratom harm, the Independent cites a CDC figure of a 1,200 percent rise in poison control calls about kratom from 2015 to 2025, while NBC News cites a CDC report of 233 deaths linked to kratom over the same period. 1 2

Left · 2Regulation varies: the Independent lists Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Indiana, Louisiana, Tennessee, Vermont and Wisconsin as having banned kratom, while NBC News says it is banned in at least 10 states; the DEA has announced its intent to classify 7-OH as illicit but has not yet done so. 1 2