Mississippi lawmakers gather information on kratom as 2027 session nears

Mississippi lawmakers gather information on kratom as 2027 session nears.

Key points

• The Smax Mango Breeze that Robert purchased in Oxford on September 20th tested positive for MGM 15, and MGI.
• Oxford Police Chief Jeff McCutchen applied Robert Strang and Aiden Hamilton as examples as to why the committee should consider removing all kratom products from store shelves.
• The Mississippi House Drug Policy Committee heard testimony from law enforcement, the medical community, and advocates for natural leaf forms of kratom this week.
• "I have 44 days of experience with kratom, and that's because Robert died 44 days ago today, " Rebecca remarked.
• The product where Robert was discovered contained synthetic forms of kratom were MGM 15, MGM 16 and MGI.

Mississippi lawmakers gather information on kratom as 2027 session nears. By: Jeremy Pittari – November 5, 2026.

FILE – This Sept. 27, 2017 file photo demonstrates kratom capsules in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Mary Esch, File).

For context, the Mississippi House Drug Policy Committee heard testimony from law enforcement, the medical community, and advocates for natural leaf forms of kratom this week.

Members of the Mississippi House Drug Policy Committee collected testimony from various professionals and community members on Wednesday as they work toward potential legislation that would establish a ban or rose regulation of products marketed as containing kratom.

Testimony included personal accounts of how the natural "leaf" forms of kratom can be beneficial and how dangerous synthetic compounds of kratom products can be particularly harmful.

In light of the two separate deaths that occurred in the city of Oxford back in September, where kratom-based products were discovered at both scenes, the mother of one of the young men advised lawmakers to put universal regulations in place.

Rebecca Strang, mother to the late Robert Strang, remarked she only knows concerning kratom since her son's death is believed to have been caused by the apply of a product marketed as kratom.

Notably, the second death that occurred the same day at a separate location additionally involved the presence of a synthetic kratom product. That incident involved the death of 18-year-old Aiden Hamilton.

Notably, the product where Robert was discovered contained synthetic forms of kratom were MGM 15, MGM 16 and MGI. It were lately classified as a Schedule I controlled substance by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Department of Justice back in August. His mother continued that the recent classification should have meant all products containing those substance should not have been on the shelf when her son entered the business that day.

"The Smax Mango Breeze that Robert purchased in Oxford on September 20th tested positive for MGM 15, and MGI. My son was dead the next day, " Rebecca described. "Why was it still on the shelf?"

She pressed the Legislature to put a ban in place for all forms of kratom and establish laws that allow for more effective enforcement and regulation.

"My son is the tragic example of failed enforcement. If the laws were enforced, Smax Mango Breeze kratom would have never been on the shelf and Robert would still be here today, " Rebecca continued.

She demonstrated the ease of which the products can be obtained by bringing two products she purchased not two blocks away from the state Capitol where the hearing was being held. Both products contained at least one of the chemicals now classified as Schedule I.

"How do I have easier access to kratom, a defined opioid, than I do to pseudoephedrine?" Rebecca posited. Healthcare providers advocate for more regulation.

For the past a number of years, Mississippi's State Health Officer has called on more regulation of the various products that claim to contain kratom.

When committee chair State Rep. Beth Waldo (R) asked Dr. Daniel Edney what he would like to say, his answer was simple. "I think you just heard it, " referring to Rebecca's testimony.

According to Edney, while the state has chipped away at the challenge, efforts to continually change the molecular make-up of these products has provided manufacturers with loopholes that avoid bans. Further, those chemical changes are increasing the potency. While natural kratom is typically applied as a stimulant, higher doses cause effects similar to opioids. The synthetic products sold in convenience stores and vape shops include those higher doses, Edney cautioned.

"Can we all not agree that at the very least that we must do is get this stuff out of the gas stations and the vape stores?" Edney asked. "How can you defend selling these potentially dangerous products and the setting?"

While kratom products are documented to have come to Mississippi in 2014, it has really been within the last five years that kratom overdoses in toxicology reports have kicked off to escalate, he continued.

Edney asked the committee to consider a law that provides his office the ability to place emergency temporary bans on new products as they come out, allowing the Legislature time to enact new laws.

Once those bans are in place there will be a need for care for those who have become addicted. Endey was asked regarding available services to assist individuals with withdrawals. He advised anyone dealing with chronic pain or withdrawal symptoms to consult their physician.

Some systems are already in place to support those recovering from addiction find treatment. Wendy Bailey, Executive Director of the Department of Mental Health, remarked those dealing with addiction can call 988 to seek assist, go to a community mental health center and/or request a mobile crisis response unit. She remarked the best treatment for kratom addiction is medical backing, withdrawal treatment, and ongoing backing to prevent relapses.

Some projects funded with Opioid Settlement Funds aimed at filling in the gaps within the system are additionally in the works. Bailey suggested continued legislative work to create treatment more accessible and affordable.

Bailey additionally proposed a public education campaign to inform the public, especially young residents, regarding the addiction potential these products pose. Individuals should even be wary of the products labeled as "natural."

"Challenging that idea that natural means safe, " Baliey continued. "Natural does not always mean safe." The challenges of enforcement.

Limited law enforcement agency budgets and the ever-changing chemicals applied by the manufacturers of the kratom products create a cat and mouse game.

He additionally cited a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that identified 14, 449 kratom related overdose exposes have occurred from 2015 to 2025, with 3, 334 of those incidents occurring in 2025 alone.

"We have to treat these products as a deadly, controlled product, " McCutchen suggested. "It's what we're seeing. It's what's happening to individuals throughout our state."

Enforcement for his department, and any agency, is tough due to limited funding and the recurring changes to the chemical composition of the products. Not only are there thousands of businesses throughout the state selling the substances, the products vary. When his investigators suspect a product contains illegal substances, they have to purchase each sample and pay a lab to test it.

"I'm telling you now every product is going to test different, " McCutchen described. "Financially, we can't do that. We can't keep up with that in the labs."

Colonel Phillip Pope, Director of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, additionally stated restricted budgets for testing products and the inability to enforce regulations presents a danger to the state's residents. When a violation is discovered, the penalty typically includes a fine to the business owner of up to $1, 000, additionally.

"We can't build a system where the burden falls primarily on law enforcement to say, 'You have to repeatedly catch a business selling these dangerous products.' It's set up for us to fail. The business has to be held accountable, " McCutchen declared. "We have to have measures in place that are not simply a citation."

Along with a ban on all products, McCutchen suggested more severe penalties for violations, including temporary suspension of the business's license, civil penalties and even suspension of the associated business license or permit. He would additionally like to see escalated penalties for selling the products to minors.

Pope additionally called on an outright ban on all kratom products, describing them as being just as dangerous as the methamphetamine and spice products that caused epidemics previously. Advocacy to protect access to botanical leaf.

There were arguments in backing of natural, leaf forms of kratom, citing their beneficial qualities.

Sheldon Bradshaw with Botanicals for Better Health and Wellness remarked synthetic forms of kratom are giving the leaf form of the plant a bad name. Kratom, he explained, is related to the coffee plant. While natural forms of kratom have between 0.003 to 0.004 percent of the active compound mitragynine, synthetic forms can be as high as 98 percent. Just as products that have high levels caffeine should not be marketed as coffee, he contends synthetic forms of kratom should not be marketed as the safer natural, leaf, products.

"The natural, botanical, has beneficial effects with a relatively low potential for harm, " Bradshaw remarked. "Now I want to be clear, there are risks associated with botanicals and our organization strongly encourages state and local governments to put in place regulations and guardrails to protect consumers."

While his organization supports bans on the synthetic products, Bradshaw would like to avoid an outright ban on all kratom.

For now, mississippi lawmakers gather information on kratom as 2027 session nears remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.