Feel Free: University-Sponsored Kratom Drink Raises Questions About Campus Marketing of Psychoactive Products

Why it matters

The widespread distribution of Feel Free (a kratom-kava tonic) on college campuses highlights gaps in product oversight and the risks of marketing psychoactive substances as wellness products, particularly to young adults.

The big picture

Botanic Tonics sponsored athletic programs at USC, University of Texas at Austin, and Florida State University (2022-2025) to promote Feel Free as a medicinal wellness drink. California recently banned kratom and seized $5M in products; the state legislature is now considering making the ban permanent under the Sherman Law.

Key findings

• Feel Free contains kratom leaf and kava root; universities gave free samples at sports events and during finals week; class action settlement for 40,000+ plaintiffs approved in Northern California October 2025; users report addictive effects with tolerance developing rapidly; California's Public Health Department enforcement used Sherman Law authorization; proposed bill would add kratom to Sherman Law permanently and ban products appealing to children

What they say

Former UT Austin student: "It just made me feel a little bit floaty...It gives everything like a soft feeling"; Former USC athletic director Jose Eskenazi: "Could we have dug a little deeper? Maybe. But from what I recall, there was nothing negative that came up at the time"; Dr. Teresa Perry (researcher): "There's a lot of people who were taking kratom without realizing what kratom was, and who became dependent on it."

Bottom line

**University-sponsored marketing of Feel Free kratom drink to college students highlights regulatory gaps and the addictive risks of kratom being rebranded as wellness products.**