A lot to unpack in this Inquirer story about “deaths from kratom,” which is a phrase I’m sure a lot of people will take issue with www2.philly.com/philly/health/…
NMS Labs says it’s seen 303 deaths in which mitragynine was found in the first 6 months of 2018. That’s a big new number but doesn’t tell us a whole lot. Using FDA’s loose classification, all of those would presumably be “kratom-related."
As more medical examiners hear about the FDA’s concerns and these individual stories in the media, more of them will start requesting mitragynine test, which will lead to more positive screens.
Because FDA’s database relies primarily on voluntary reporting, it’s not so surprising that there’s a pretty big gap in these numbers. Of course, the bigger question is *how* kratom contributed to these deaths, if it did at all.
The Inquirer makes mention of a small handful of cases in which kratom was the only drug present. I’ve still yet to see a convincing example of this, so I’ll see what I can find.
These stories all speak to the confusing place we’re in: Does mitragynine kill on its own? I’m not convinced. Could it have harmful interactions with other drugs? Studies suggest it’s possible, but more research is definitely needed on all fronts.
But there’s a frustrating lack of nuance in the presentation of this issue, which is the case for a lot of government led anti-drug campaigns and drug reporting in general.
Local media gives new headline to last week's Inquirer story on so-called kratom deaths, but covers the same cases. Still no autopsy for Sturgis, but I've requested it. dailylocal.com/general-news/2…
