OXFORD, Miss. — Two University of Mississippi students died Monday, and local authorities are urging the public to avoid kratom after investigators found packaged kratom during both death investigations.
In a news release addressed “To Our Community,” the Lafayette County Metro Narcotics unit said law enforcement is handling the deaths as two separate cases. The Oxford Police Department shared the release on X.
“At this time, we have no confirmed evidence indicating that the two deaths are connected,” the release said. “However, packaged Kratom sold from a retail store was found during both investigations.”
The agency said it has not yet determined what caused either death.
The narcotics unit still issued a warning. “Out of an abundance of caution, we encourage everyone to avoid kratom and any other medication or substance that was not prescribed to you or obtained from a trusted, regulated source,” the release said. The students’ names have not been released, and the agency said it is working closely with the families and asked that their privacy be respected “during an incredibly difficult time.”
Narcan, which can reverse opioid overdoses, including those from kratom, is available for free from vending machines on campus and at the downtown parking garage in Oxford.
“The University is heartbroken by the recent loss of two students and extends our condolences to their families, friends and loved ones during this difficult time,” Shawnboda Mead, the university’s vice chancellor for student affairs, said in a statement reported by Mississippi Today.
Kratom comes from a plant and is often marketed for pain and anxiety relief. WMC-TV in Memphis reported that the city of Oxford banned kratom in 2019 and Lafayette County banned it in 2021, although adults 21 and older can buy it in other parts of Mississippi. Mississippi Today reported that more than 30 Mississippi counties restrict or ban kratom products.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch addressed the deaths in remarks reported by WMC-TV. “One Pill Can Kill is not just a slogan. It’s a fact,” Fitch said. Fitch was a guest on Grieving Out Loud to talk about her efforts to curb overdose deaths in her state.
At the federal level, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced on July 1 that it would move to temporarily place 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act when products contain it above a specified threshold. 7-OH is a potent compound found in kratom. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said the move does not target natural leaf kratom, which contains only trace amounts of 7-OH.
