Minnesota Mother Calls for Kratom Regulation After Son Death; Lawmakers Advance Age-Restriction and Prescription Bills

Why it matters

Grieving families are now testifying to state legislatures about kratom as a link in addiction chains, lending emotional and moral weight to regulatory efforts nationwide.

The big picture

Minnesota parents and addiction physicians are pushing back against kratom availability, noting that while some use it to ease opioid withdrawal, it carries its own addiction and overdose risks. The state is considering bills to raise the purchase age to 21 or classify it as Schedule II, requiring a prescription.

Key findings

• Colleen Ronnei lost her son Luke to heroin overdose in 2016 and has since learned kratom and 7-OH pose serious risks
• An addiction physician reported witnessing a patient requiring massive Suboxone doses to manage 7-OH withdrawal
• Both natural kratom and synthetic 7-OH can cause serious withdrawal, addiction, and death
• Lawmakers report bipartisan support for age-restriction or prescription-requirement bills
• FDA warns kratom users face addiction risk and in rare cases death

What they say

Dr. Kurt DeVine, addiction physician: "We are not just having deaths; we are having significant morbidity. She was in bed for three days trying to come out of this. It was horrific."

Bottom line

**Kratom and 7-OH withdrawal can be as severe as opioid withdrawal, creating a treatment access crisis even as these products remain legal.**