MOUNT VERNON — Between the lottery tickets and bubble gum at many Ohio convenience stores sits an unlikely product drawing growing concern from health officials: kratom.
Kratom is a tropical tree (Mitragyna speciosa) that is native to Southeast Asia. The leaves are “used to make tablets, capsules, extracts and gum as well as other edible products,” according to the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
These products are marketed as anything from energy boosters to dietary supplements. They sit on the shelves of convenience stores and gas stations, right next to bubblegum and newspapers.
For officials, this accessibility is what makes kratom a concern.
What is kratom?
What kratom really is designed for, however, is much different than what it is marketed as, according to Zach Green, Knox County’s health commissioner.
“It acts as an opiate (but) it can be manufactured and marketed to anywhere from a natural to dietary supplement … it’s trying to show that it’s safe in some regard,” Green said.
There are two main chemical compounds within the kratom plant, 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) and mitragynine.
When ingested, these chemicals attach to the same parts of the brain as opioids and produce similar, euphoric effects. Other effects include pain relief, relaxation and increased energy.
Kratom is often used by opioid users in combination with other drugs, or to alleviate withdrawal symptoms. It’s also used to self-treat pain, anxiety and depression.
Despite often being marketed as a “natural remedy,” high-dosage kratom use can result in substance use disorder, psychosis and overdose. According to a December 2025 press release from Gov. Mike DeWine, “kratom was found to be a cause of death in more than 200 unintentional overdose deaths in Ohio from 2019 to 2024.”
Individuals who have been sober for a long period or who have never used before are more likely to overdose.
“Either it’s brand new to them, and they had no idea what they were getting into, or they flat out have been in recovery for so long that their body was not ready for the dosage,” Green said.
As a result, kratom is especially dangerous to vulnerable populations, a group which Green identified as adolescents and people in recovery.
Kratom doesn’t show up on standard urinalysis tests, so it’s often used by individuals in outpatient treatments to “skate by” urine screenings, according to Green. Packages can also be misleading.
“It looks like a pack of bubble gum (but) that’s not your standard pop rocks container (or) workout supplement … this is a synthetic controlled substance that’s going to create problems in your life.”
“Individuals have their own challenges. We all do. We all walk the life with barriers and traumatic events. It’s called being human. But we are doing a disservice to those (vulnerable) populations by making this easily accessible, by giving that false sense of security.”
A primary reason kratom is so accessible, and a concern, is because its sold as a synthetic drug.
“(Synthetic drugs) are synthetic compound(s) built to mimic the natural response, but these aren’t chemists … it’s built for one thing, addiction,” Green said.
Kratom as plant is traditionally used in Southeast Asia for a variety of purposes. However, many of the products appearing on store shelves today contain concentrated versions of kratom compounds. Consequently, there is a higher risk of abuse, addiction and overdose.
Vendors selling these products see it as an opportunity for financial gain, according to Green, and often don’t consider the ramifications.
“It’s that false sense of security. It’s a market that is booming … there’s opportunity for financial gain, regardless of the outcome,” Green said.
There are currently no federal regulations in the synthetic market, so product packaging often lacks safety warnings and doses are unregulated.
“I’m not here to argue that the natural compounds of kratom are bad … I just know the synthetic components in which we are seeing in our local communities … it’s compounding the epidemic when it comes to mental health and drug use,” Green said.
“The synthetic market is flat out killing people and destroying families.”
‘How do I protect the families next door?’
The possession or selling of kratom-related compounds became illegal in Ohio on May 19, through the work of the Ohio Board of Pharmacy.
This includes, but is not limited to, the following compounds: 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, dihydro-7-hydroxy mitragynine and 7-acetoxymitragynine.
While many kratom-derived compounds may now be illegal, the question now is who will enforce this law.
“That’s the piece I’m missing … We can make everything illegal, but if there’s no punishment, no accountability … that’s what we’re seeing right now with this synthetic market,” Green said.
Green hopes the issue will one day be addressed at the federal level — in the form of a constitutional amendment to eliminate synthetic markets.
“As soon as this is done, it’s going to be the next thing … you’re chasing your tail, and meanwhile, these families are being turned upside down,” Green said.
“My end goal would be to truly find a way to have a constitutional amendment to eliminate the synthetic opportunity to hit the shelves before supplies even remotely start to become available.”
Green has spoken with the Ohio Board of Pharmacy and the Department of Agriculture, as well as representatives including Rep. Mark Hiner, Sen. Brenner and Rep. Lear about enforcement options.
His first step, however, is to start local and in the neighborhoods of Knox County.
“The facts are these products exist for one thing: financial opportunity … and, frankly, that’s not my problem. My problem is how do I protect the families next door?”
One of Green’s biggest fears is the public not understanding what kratom is, especially when it comes to the youth and their parents. For him, the most important way to combat kratom locally is through education.
“Give (families) the opportunity to understand what it is, so they have an opportunity to mitigate it, to be able to provide some prevention … if they don’t know, then we’re not doing our jobs correctly.”
“At times you feel like you’re talking in circles, and if you can at least reach one family … before it becomes a traumatic event, it’s worth it,” Green said.
