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Berkeley County officials and residents urge faster, clearer kratom regulation after local overdoses
Summary
Local officials, health providers and people in recovery told a Berkeley County town hall that kratom and potent lab-made derivatives are widely sold in convenience and vape shops, have appeared in local overdose deaths and ER cases, and require stronger enforcement and clearer state law to close loopholes.
Berkeley County leaders, medical experts and people in recovery urged swift legislative and enforcement action after local health workers reported kratom’s growing presence in treatment settings and the coroner’s office linked the product to fatal overdoses.
The town hall "Freedom in the Lowcountry," hosted by the Berkeley County coroner’s office, featured presentations from Sen. Brian Adams (Senate District 44), Rep. Mark Smith (House District 99), Coroner Darnell Hartwell, and medical and treatment professionals. Hartwell told the audience that the coroner’s office has recorded kratom in multiple fatal overdoses and motor‑vehicle crashes and spent roughly $475,000 on toxicology and autopsy testing last year; he said he will ask county council for an additional…
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