ST. LOUIS — Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has opened a sweeping investigation into major kratom manufacturers, distributors and retailers across the state after reports indicated consumers may be exposed to unapproved, unsafe and deceptively marketed opioid-like substances.
Hanaway
Hanaway announced the action, noting that her office is responding to concerns that Missourians may be purchasing drug-like products sold as harmless supplements without meaningful disclosure of their contents or risks.
Hanaway said the investigation was prompted by troubling indications that certain kratom companies are selling products with no Food and Drug Administration approval, no safety testing, and, in some cases, no transparent ingredient information.
“We are deeply concerned that Missourians are being sold drug-like substances under the guise of harmless supplements, with no FDA approval, no safety testing and in some cases no meaningful disclosure of what these products actually contain,” she said in the announcement.
She added that companies misleading consumers or placing them at risk “will be held accountable.”
To begin the inquiry, the Attorney General’s Office has issued six Civil Investigative Demands to companies believed to be manufacturing, distributing or selling kratom products that may violate Missouri law.
The businesses include MNG 2005 Inc., doing business as CBD Kratom, described as one of the largest kratom distributors in the nation with operations in Missouri and throughout the country; The Green Dragon LLC, doing business as The Green Dragon CBD; Emporium Inc., doing business as Emporium Smoke Shop; and Moonlight Smoke Shop LLC, each based in either St. Louis City or County.
Two Kansas City companies known for manufacturing or distributing high-potency 7-OH kratom products, CBD American Shaman LLC and Shaman Botanicals LLC, were also served.
The companies represent significant points of sale within the state’s kratom market, including retailers that reach thousands of Missouri consumers.
According to the Attorney General, some of the named companies are known to sell or produce products containing mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, psychoactive compounds that act on the brain in ways similar to opioids.
Kratom, made from the leaves of the Mitragyna speciosa plant, is frequently promoted as a natural supplement.
However, the potency and purity of kratom products vary widely, and many contain levels of 7-hydroxymitragynine that far exceed naturally occurring amounts.
Reported side effects included death, including deaths in Missouri, dependency, seizures, heart complications, liver toxicity and other severe harms.
No kratom product is approved by the FDA for medical use of any kind.
The Civil Investigative Demands require each company to provide detailed information about how its products are manufactured, labeled and marketed; all ingredients used; and any claims made about safety, health effects or recommended dosage.
Businesses must also disclose records of consumer communications related to adverse reactions and provide any materials showing whether they sold unapproved new drugs in violation of federal or state law.
Additionally, the Hanaway is seeking information to determine whether the companies failed to disclose the presence of psychoactive substances such as 7-hydroxymitragynine in their products.
In the announcement, Hanaway underscored the state’s role in protecting consumers.
“This Office exists to safeguard the public,” she said. “When businesses peddle unregulated, addictive substances and hide the risks, they violate the trust of Missouri consumers.”
She said her office will “follow the facts and take whatever action is necessary to ensure that families are protected from products that threaten their health and safety.”
