Senator Mike Lee pushes federal action on kratom after family tragedy
A grieving father urges Congress to regulate kratom after his son died with the drug in his system, and Senator Mike Lee has joined a bipartisan letter to the DEA and FDA demanding action.
In August 2020, the writer’s only child, Joe, died unexpectedly; a medical examiner detected mitragynine, the primary alkaloid in kratom, in his system. The father has spent six years lobbying for stricter controls on the substance, which is sold in convenience stores as a natural supplement. Recently, Senator Mike Lee of Utah joined Senators Chuck Grassley and Susan Collins in a formal request to the DEA and FDA to complete emergency scheduling of the kratom derivative 7-OH and to consider permanent scheduling of the whole plant and related semi-synthetic compounds.
Their letter highlights a surge in poison-control calls—over 3,400 in 2025—and thousands of suspected non-fatal overdoses across 38 states. While Utah has enacted its own Kratom Consumer Protection Act and tightened regulations, calls continue to rise, prompting the senators to seek federal intervention. The author also launched a Change.org petition urging 7-Eleven to remove kratom products from its shelves pending legislation.
