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Kamloops mom says coroner report shows plant-based substance kratom caused son's accidental overdose death

Kratom cause of OD death?

A Kamloops mother whose son died of an overdose in April is sounding the alarm about a substance called kratom — a plant-based product she believes her son took to alleviate anxiety and withdrawal symptoms, accidentally ingesting a fatal amount.

Troylana Manson said a detailed coroner’s report showed her son Aaron — who was 26 when he died — had cocaine, hydromorphone and antihistamines in his system, but only kratom was found at fatally toxic levels.

Manson said she discussed the results in-depth with the coroner, who indicated “very likely, he would have been OK” with the amounts of other drugs he took.

“I said, 'If he had nothing else in his system, and the amount [of kratom] that was in his system, would it have been fatal?’ And she said ‘definitely,’” Manson told Castanet.

She said Aaron, who lived at home with Manson and her husband, had some relapses but wanted recovery “more than anything.”

Manson said on April 26, Aaron came home at 1:30 a.m. and made something to eat, greeted her husband in the hallway while taking a bottle of water to bed at 6 a.m., and was heard snoring at about 10 a.m. Manson found Aaron’s body in his bed at noon.

She said she also found a brown residue at the bottom of his water bottle, alongside a plastic bag with a homemade label. After speaking with the coroner, Manson said she believes Aaron mixed kratom with water and drank it before he went to bed.

“He was only out for a few hours, and he came home with a good mood knowing that he didn't lose it completely. He had his final presentation the next day, and he was just feeling so good about finishing his best term in school,” Manson said.

“I think he was just taking this as a drink to get better.”

According to Health Canada, kratom is a plant native to Southeast Asia. It comes in the form of pills, capsules, powder or tea leaves, and although the substance isn’t authorized for sale in Canada, the federal agency said the products are widely available online.

“Kratom is known to be sold with unproven claims for the treatment of opioid addiction and withdrawal as well as for treating high blood pressure, cancer and other serious medical conditions,” Health Canada’s website said.

Health Canada said kratom has been associated with a number of deaths in the United States when used in combination with illicit drugs.

Kratom leaves contain compounds that give users both narcotic and stimulant-like effects.

Manson said the coroner told her the product is sold online with a warning that it is only to be used for research purposes, and not to be consumed.

However, Manson said she has found that people use it before workouts due to the stimulant effects, also to manage anxiety and withdrawal symptoms.

She said she wants to be clear that she doesn’t want the substance banned, because she believes this won’t stop people from using but only increases the likelihood the supply will become more toxic.

However, Manson said she is concerned that kratom is being sold as an alternative health product, but as it’s unauthorized for human consumption, it’s left without warning labels or dosage guidelines — increasing the risk that others might unintentionally overdose.

“The problem is, there’s no labelling. as soon as they start to put down things like ‘use one teaspoon for this’ or ‘is used for anxiety,’ you’ll get nailed for that, and fined or closed down, because you haven't gone through the licensing. So it's kind of like being between a rock and a hard spot,” Manson said.

Manson said she looked at Aaron’s bank account for evidence of an online purchase of kratom, but couldn’t find any — leaving her to believe he purchased it in Kamloops.

She said she has also spoken with others who have told her the substance is available locally.

“People need to know about this product out there that has no labels on it. I’m not saying that they need to go get rid of it, or take it from their kids. … If parents find this, and they start flushing it down, that’s not going to help the problem,” Manson said.

“The problem is they need to know how much. It would be a conversation with the parents saying, ‘Look I found some kratom, I looked it up. There's no labeling on here. Do you know how much you're supposed to take?’”

Manson said she knew Aaron used cocaine, but finding that he had taken kratom was a surprise — and something that changed how she processed his death.

She said she had a lot of anger about the poisoned supply of cocaine, but knowing that isn’t what killed him brought some relief.

Manson said she believes Aaron took kratom fully intending it was something that would help him feel better once he woke up, alleviating withdrawal and anxiety to help him get on with his recovery.

“It's hard to know that the thing he thought was good for him killed him. But the intent in this was telling me that he was wanting recovery more than anything. So I do feel it does help me,” Manson said.

“As a mom, you want to know that they're trying to find their place in this world. They're trying to figure out this life. And I think he was getting it, he was figuring it out. But probably my final comment is, I don't want to ban this stuff. I want to keep it out, but let's put a label on it so that people like Aaron, who take it home at night and they want to feel better, they go, ‘Oh, just a teaspoon.’”



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