The Brief Officials are pushing for a statewide Georgia kratom ban after the attorney general warned the unregulated supplement is causing fatal overdoses. At least four state residents died from kratom overdoses this year, and emergency responders have handled more than 315 crisis calls. A grieving mother urged lawmakers to act after her former husband died from taking what he believed was a harmless, natural product.



Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr called on state lawmakers Friday to completely ban kratom from store shelves following a surge in emergency calls and fatal overdoses tied to the substance.

Warning over Georgia kratom sales

Why you should care:

Carr told a joint legislative study committee that Georgia faces an escalating crisis as kratom continues to line the shelves of gas stations and vape shops statewide. He warned that the existing Kratom Consumer Protection Act fails to protect the public from severe harm.

Carr asked lawmakers to take strong action and ban the herbal drug from store shelves across the state.

Family shares painful kratom tragedy

The backstory:

Pitter Goughnour testified that her daughter's life will never be the same after her ex-husband, Bill, died six years ago from a kratom overdose. She still holds video showing paramedics attempting to revive him after he consumed what he thought was a natural supplement.

Goughnour explained the deep personal toll his death took on their family.  This has hit me personally, he will never walk my daughter down the aisle,  Goughnour said.

 He died two weeks before her homecoming,  she said.

 When it was sold to Bill, it was under the false pretense that it was a healthy product, and it is not healthy,  Goughnour added.  It is literally killing people. 

Georgia attorney general demands ban

What they're saying:

Carr did not mince words when describing the dangerous lack of oversight surrounding retail kratom sales.  The core problem is this, consumers can't tell the difference between a lawfully registered, regulated product and something that can stop your breathing,  Carr said.

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