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'Bougie bliss' sales in stores cited as local public-health concern; resident urges Lauderdale County action
Summary
Eric Grigsby told the Lauderdale County Commission that a product he calls ‘bougie bliss’ — described as a liquid kratom product containing other unidentified chemicals — is being sold in many convenience stores and is causing hospitalizations and deaths, and he urged immediate action; the commission said it would look into the matter.
Eric Grigsby, who signed in to speak during the public-comment portion of the Lauderdale County Commission meeting, urged county leaders on Jan. 8 to address what he described as an “epidemic” of a product he called "bougie bliss," which he said is being sold in convenience stores across the county and surrounding areas.
Grigsby told the commission he spent 22 years battling addiction and described relapses linked to products he said are now sold in stores. He said the product is a liquid kratom preparation and that, according to research he cited, some such products contain additional unidentified chemicals. Grigsby alleged that teenagers have been hospitalized with kidney and liver failure and that there have been fatalities he attributed to the product.
Grigsby named several retail brands ‘‘as spoken in his remarks,’’ including Chevron, Marathon, Valero, Paradise Food Mart, Wabajos and Shell station; he also mentioned other local outlets whose names were unclear in the audio record. He said the product was available at “9 out of the 10 convenience stores in Lauderdale County” (as stated in his remarks). He called for immediate action, saying, "We have to do something, not tomorrow, but right now."
The chair responded that commissioners would look into the claim and asked Grigsby to speak with officials after the meeting for follow-up. The transcript records no formal investigation, ordinance or enforcement action taken during the meeting; the commission’s response was a promise to investigate further.
The claims in Grigsby’s comment are reported here as statements he made in public comment. The meeting record does not provide independent verification of hospitalizations, fatalities or the chemical composition of the product; those items are therefore unresolved in the meeting record and require follow-up by county officials or public-health authorities for confirmation.
Next steps recorded in the meeting: the chair asked Grigsby to speak with commissioners after the session to provide more information, and the commission committed to looking into the matter.
