Utah News Dispatch
Utah health officials issue ‘urgent’ warning about kratom, ‘cat’s claw’ products after overdoses
Buzzers Cat’s Claw tablet packets. (Photo courtesy of Utah Department of Agriculture and Food)
Utah health officials are warning against substances marketed as herbal products that produce psychoactive “highs,” saying they may contain dangerous semi-synthetic kratom chemicals.
The warning comes after four Utahns died of overdoses linked to “high-potency, illegal chemical compounds” found in the products, according to a news release from Utah’s Department of Health, Poison Control Center and Department of Agriculture and Food. No additional details about the deaths were released.
The state had issued a similar warning in July following one death and multiple severe health incidents involving cat’s claw tablets that were found to contain kratom alkaloids.
Pure leaf kratom remains legal in Utah, but lawmakers this year banned adulterated kratom products containing extracts or semi-synthetic chemicals that increase potency.
Utah’s kratom ban takes effect: Adulterated products should be off shelves starting today
The agencies said the products often sold online, in smoke shops and convenience stores under brand names like “Buzzers,” purport to contain “cat’s claw” or Uncaria tomentosa, which is not harmful in its natural form. But testing by the Department of Agriculture identified semi-synthetic kratom alkaloids in the tablets, including mitragynine pseudoindoxyl (MGPI) and dihydro-7-hydroxymitragynine (MGM-15), which the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration classified as Schedule I controlled substances in August.
The agencies warned the substances “carry severe risks of addiction, dangerous withdrawal symptoms, overdose, and death.”
Because the substances act on the body’s opioid receptors, naloxone, an overdose reversal medication, can be used in response to an overdose, the agencies advised. For people experiencing addiction, medical treatments for opioid dependence and withdrawal are effective. Anyone experiencing withdrawal should seek immediate medical attention.
While synthetic kratom alkaloids are illegal in Utah, the agencies said they can still be found for sale. Anyone who sees kratom extracts or semi-synthetic kratom products being sold in the state are asked to report them to the Department of Agriculture and Food by emailing udaf-kratom@utah.gov.
