Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Doctor and Monterey County health official warn of increasingly potent kratom products sold locally
Summary
At a March 4 Monterey County news briefing, an addiction medicine physician and a county consumer‑protection supervisor warned that concentrated kratom extracts—especially 7‑hydroxymitragynine products—are increasingly potent, poorly labeled and pose risks of dependence and overdose; county staff said inspectors can document sales but lack authority to ban products absent other violations.
On March 4, at a Monterey County news briefing, Dr. Casey Grover, an addiction medicine physician with Montage Health, and Armando Gonzalez, supervisor of the consumer protection team at the Monterey County Environmental Health Bureau, warned that some kratom products sold at local smoke shops and gas stations are much more potent than traditional leaf preparations and are frequently labeled without opioid‑risk warnings.
Dr. Grover described kratom (mitragyna speciosa) as a plant with alkaloids that can act like an opioid and a stimulant. He said newer products and extracts concentrate a compound called 7‑hydroxymitragynine, which he called “more potent at the opiate receptor…than morphine,” and that those concentrated products are being marketed as supplements without clear safety warnings. "I went into a smoke shop in the city of Monterey," Dr. Grover said, "and the pamphlet described it as lifting mood and a 'daytime well‑being boost' with no mention of overdose, dependence or withdrawal."
Gonzalez said county inspectors perform routine inspections of tobacco and retail shops, document kratom sales and request voluntary removal of products when observed, but that Monterey County does not currently have independent authority to prohibit kratom sales unless the product or facility violates existing retail food, tobacco or consumer protection laws. "CDPH has the sole authority to impound or remove adulterated products," Gonzalez said, adding that the county forwards findings to the California Department of Public Health.
Dr. Grover said the local coroner does not routinely test for mitragynine, limiting the county's ability to identify kratom‑involved deaths; he noted that Santa Cruz County does track mitragynine and “has had some deaths that involve kratom products,” but he did not provide an exact number on‑air. Clinically, Dr. Grover said he treats kratom dependence similarly to opioid addiction and that some patients require medications used for opioid use disorder to manage withdrawal.
Speakers said the county is developing a local resource webpage for health care providers and the public; the moderator said the site was not yet live and would be shared with media partners when available. Dr. Grover also said he and other clinicians hope federal regulators will take action: he expressed support for the Drug Enforcement Administration restricting concentrated 7‑hydroxymitragynine products.
The county emphasized the difference between traditional kratom leaf—which is fibrous and was historically chewed—and concentrated, processed products and extracts that may pose higher risks. County staff said inspectors will continue to document sales and coordinate with CDPH; they offered to follow up with local counts of observed facilities and with the status of the public resource page.
Next steps: Monterey County will share its resource page when ready and may provide follow‑up counts of retail observations; CDPH is the state authority listed by county staff for impounding adulterated products.
