Semi-Synthetic Kratom Products Linked to Four Utah Deaths
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What happened
Utah health, poison-control, and agriculture officials said four deaths in the state were linked to semi-synthetic kratom compounds—mitragynine pseudoindoxyl (MGPI) and dihydro-7-hydroxymitragynine (MGM-15)—found in some herbal supplements, including products labeled as cat’s claw such as “Buzzers.” Those compounds are illegal in Utah and were recently placed by the DEA on Schedule I. In September, investigators in Mississippi began examining the deaths of two University of Mississippi students after packaged kratom was found at both scenes. A CDC report counted 233 deaths linked to kratom from 2015 to 2025. Kratom remains legal in most U.S. states, is banned in at least 10, and is not FDA-approved as a dietary supplement; the FDA has recommended federal scheduling of related compounds.
Sourcing check · Mostly on the record · 4 articles
2 of 4 articles cite a named source for the story. It started with unnamed sources; a named source appeared 7 hours later.
What these terms mean and how they're counted
- On the record · names a source 2 of 4
- On the record means the article cites a source by name for the story's main claim: a person, or an institution speaking officially, such as a company statement or a named agency's spokesperson. The opposite is an unnamed source. The count is how many of the counted articles cite at least one such source; the names are everyone named across them, each once however the articles spell it. Here: Michael Moss, Sen. Chuck Grassley and Utah health, poison center and agriculture officials
- Primary evidence · cites a document or data 0 of 4
- Primary evidence means the article cites a record you could check yourself: a court filing or ruling, a dataset or report, a recording or transcript, an official statement or press release, market data. A quote is not a document. The count is how many articles cite one. Here: None cited.
- Credits another outlet 0 of 4
- The article says the story comes from another outlet's reporting (“first reported by Reuters”). Those articles relay the story; they are not independent confirmation. Here: Each article presents its own reporting.
- Unnamed sources 0 of 4
- The main claim is attributed to people who are not identified: “people familiar with the matter”, “officials said”. The count is how many articles do this.
- How it developed
- When the first report landed and whether it named anyone; when the first named source and the first document appeared. Here: First report Oct 6, 11:45 UTC by Washington Post, with no named source. First named source 7 hours later, from NBC News.
- Not counted 0
- Opinion, analysis and video pieces, and articles too short to assess. Every count above is out of the counted articles. An article republished under a new headline is one article.
This is about who is cited, not whether the story is true. Each source below says what it names. How we count
ONE-SIDED THIS WEEK.
Only left-leaning outlets have covered this story in the last two days;
Daily Wire reported it on 2026-09-23.
Omitted — what each side leaves out
Unpacked
Right-leaning outlets had not covered kratom-linked deaths as of publication, so readers on that side miss the entire story left-leaning coverage is telling. Left-leaning coverage reports fatalities, renewed ban calls, and a drug that remains legal in most states. It also reports Utah cases involving semi-synthetic compounds already placed in Schedule 1. Scheduled derivatives sit at the center of the NBC News account and are absent from the Washington Post account, which changes what a ban would even target.
Left-leaning coverage splits the lead: college students and an "opioid-like" drug still legal, versus compounds hidden in products labeled cat's claw. One frame is a legal herb, the other a scheduled opioid in a misleading bottle.
How many of the reported deaths involved only the plant, not other drugs or already-illegal synthetics?
Bottom line
The right has not covered kratom deaths, while NBC News links four Utah fatalities to already-illegal synthetics sold as cat's claw.
The receipts — 3 facts one side's coverage lacks
- A CDC report linked 233 deaths to kratom from 2015 to 2025
- Utah officials warned that products labeled cat's claw contained kratom-derived opioids sold under names like Buzzers
- The DEA has temporarily classified mitragynine pseudoindoxyl and dihydro-7-hydroxymitragynine as Schedule 1 drugs
The Left View
Washington Post and NBC News present kratom as an opioid-like, addictive substance tied to deaths that is still legal in most states. WaPo centers two college-student deaths as renewing calls for a ban. NBC details Utah’s four deaths attributed to MGPI and MGM-15 in products often sold as “Buzzers” or mislabeled cat’s claw, quotes Utah Poison Control’s Dr. Michael Moss urging no one to take them, and notes similar warnings in Tennessee and Virginia. Coverage cites the CDC’s 233 linked deaths (2015–2025), a Nashville medical examiner finding kratom-related chemicals in the June death of producer Tay Keith (who also had ketamine), an $11 million Florida wrongful-death verdict over mitragynine, and pending DEA action on 7-OH. Framing emphasizes addiction, overdose, FDA non-approval, and expanding state and federal restrictions.
Our Take (balanced)
The story is substantive: it rests on named agencies and officials, specific chemicals, DEA Schedule I listings, a CDC death-count report, a medical-examiner finding, a court award, and an open homicide-style inquiry in Mississippi—not a single uncorroborated claim. Established: Utah officials linked four deaths to MGPI/MGM-15 in mislabeled products; those compounds are Schedule I and illegal in Utah; kratom is banned in at least 10 states; the CDC reported 233 linked deaths from 2015 to 2025. Still alleged or unresolved: whether kratom caused the Mississippi student deaths; the causal weight of kratom versus other substances (e.g., ketamine in the Tay Keith case); and whether Exo Club’s Buzzers contain kratom despite the company’s public denial. No right-leaning outlet has reported this. Watch for autopsy and toxicology reports from Utah and Mississippi, DEA’s final decision on 7-OH, independent product testing, manufacturer response, and any new state bans.
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