Doctor details new troubling kratom trend

Key Points:

• Doctors at St. Peter’s Addiction Recovery Center report an increase in pregnant patients using kratom and newborns experiencing withdrawal symptoms, highlighting the drug's growing impact on vulnerable populations.
• Albany County recently declared kratom a danger to life and health, implementing an emergency public health ban after a kratom-related death this year.
• Kratom, often referred to as "gas station heroin," is a potent opioid with effects comparable to opioids, raising concerns about its accessibility and potential for overdose.
• A lawsuit revealed that kratom was among substances used to harm children in Mechanicville, where four children died after being given drugs that led to hospitalization.
• Dr. Angad Madan urges Governor Hochul to sign a ban on the concentrated form of 7OH kratom, which has already passed the New York State Assembly and Senate, to curb opioid overdoses linked to kratom use.