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Grieving families urge Yukon to act on kratom; residents press council on data center water use
Summary
Several Yukon residents recounted deaths they attribute to kratom use and asked the council to ban or regulate its sale; other speakers raised concerns about water demand from a proposed data center and asked for transparency on a pending water study.
Multiple residents used the March 3 visitor comment period to urge the Yukon City Council to restrict or ban kratom — a supplement they said was marketed as natural and safe but has caused addiction and, in their accounts, fatal outcomes.
Juliana and Rick Shrivever told the council they lost a son in December 2025 they say was using a product sold locally; Kimberly Gibson said her son died in 2021 after consuming kratom and other medications and pressed for warning labels or a ban. "We are here tonight because we do not want another family in Yukon to experience what ours has," Juliana Shrivever said. Several speakers said toxicology testing can miss kratom and that products are sold in convenience stores with little warning. One speaker said she is circulating a petition to ban kratom in Oklahoma.
Community concerns about a proposed data center also surfaced in the visitor section. Jodie Harland cited reporting that multiple data centers are negotiating infrastructure deals and said water demand — including examples of large withdrawals elsewhere — warrants public attention. She asked when the city's water study for the proposed Yukon Center will be available and whether dry or hybrid cooling alternatives were being considered.
Council response and context: Council members expressed sympathy for grieving families and said the topic deserves continued discussion; Councilmember Selby said she is pursuing state‑level action as well as local discussion. On the data center question, staff told speakers the city cannot comment on some matters outside the visitor section but acknowledged the water study is the relevant tool for evaluating impacts and that speakers should watch for the study’s release.
Next steps: Families asked the council to pursue regulation or a ban and to consider warning labels; council members indicated they will continue the conversation and follow up with staff regarding the water study timeline.
