Four deaths in Utah have been linked to potent semi-synthetic kratom compounds, state officials said Monday.
asserted
officials → link → compounds
The kratom-derived compounds, mitragynine pseudoindoxyl (MGPI) and dihydro-7-hydroxymitragynine (MGM-15), are illegal in the state and were recently classified by the Drug Enforcement Administration as Schedule 1 drugs.
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compounds → derive → drugs
Utah health, poison center and agriculture officials warned that the compounds were found in certain herbal supplements, including kratom products, as well as products labeled “cat’s claw.”
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compounds → warn → products
Cat’s claw is not a harmful supplement, but testing in these cases revealed it contained MPGI and MGM-15, the statement said.
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statement → reveal → MPGI
The warning said that the products were “often sold under brand names like ‘Buzzers’ and are misleadingly labeled as containing ‘cat’s claw’ or its scientific name Uncaria tomentosa.”
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products → say → claw
The labels, officials said, often claim the product is “legal and free of kratom, yet warn it is for ‘adults only/21+’ or produces strong psychoactive effects.”
uncertain
it → say → effects
(The warning does not directly link the Buzzers’ products to the deaths.)
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warning → link → deaths
“These cat’s claw products contain dangerous opioids derived from kratom,” said Dr. Michael Moss, the medical director of the Utah Poison Control Center.
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Moss → contain → Center
“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.”
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providers → take → use
Experts say that cat’s claw, which comes from a South American vine, is generally safe.
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which → say → vine
It’s taken by some people for its anti-inflammatory properties.
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It → take → properties
Kratom is used for pain relief, depression and opioid withdrawal but is highly addictive and can cause overdose and death in extreme cases.
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Kratom → use → cases
Neither are approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
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Neither → approve → Administration
The agency says kratom is not appropriate for use as a dietary supplement.
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kratom → say → supplement
Exo Club, which makes Buzzers, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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which → make → comment
On its website, it says the product does not contain kratom.
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product → say → kratom
“We extract an indole alkaloid from the Cat’s Claw plant to mirror the effects of popular kratom products,” the website reads.
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website → extract → products
In recent months, Utah has noticed calls to poison control about cat’s claw products, which experts say do not cause harmful side effects.
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experts → notice → effects
People were instead reporting symptoms that resemble an opioid overdose, Moss previously told NBC News.
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Moss → report → News
Several other states have also recently issued warnings about products labeled to be cat’s claw but contained compounds related to kratom.
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states → issue → kratom
Tennessee issued its own warning in September after the state’s Bureau of Investigation found the synthetic kratom compound MGM-15 in cat’s claw products.
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Bureau → issue → products
In Virginia, the Blue Ridge Poison Center has also received calls about cat’s claw products that caused opioid-like effects.
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that → receive → effects
Kratom is banned in at least 10 states, and many others regulate it or have bans on specific kratom-related compounds.
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others → ban → compounds
Last year, the FDA recommended the Justice Department classify 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, an opioid found in the kratom plant, as an illicit substance.
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Department → recommend → substance
This summer, the DEA announced its intent to do so, but has not yet done so.
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DEA → announce → intent
It has, however, temporarily classified several other kratom-related compounds, including MGPI and MGM-15, as Schedule 1 drugs.
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It → classify → drugs
According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 233 deaths were linked to kratom from 2015 to 2025.
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deaths → accord → 2025
TMZ reported that, according to the medical examiner’s office in Nashville, Tennessee, Grammy-nominated record producer Tay Keith, 29, whose real name was BryTavious Chambers, had a kratom chemical and ketamine in his system when he was found dead in June.
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he → report → June
In 2023, the family of a Florida woman was awarded $11 million in a wrongful death lawsuit after the coroner attributed her death to “acute mitragynine intoxication,” referring to a compound found in kratom.
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coroner → award → kratom
In Mississippi, investigators are looking into the deaths of two University of Mississippi students in September.
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investigators → look → September
Packaged kratom was found at the scene of both deaths.
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kratom → find → deaths
The Aporia
