Can kratom kill you? Records show fatal overdose numbers in Manatee County
While some people say kratom serves medicinal purposes, Manatee County officials and law enforcement believe it’s dangerous enough to constitute a ban.
The Manatee County Board of County Commissioners recently directed staff to research an ordinance to ban kratom and other designer drugs across the county. The motion garnered support from local law enforcement officials, including Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells and Bradenton Police Chief Josh Cramer.
Records from the region’s medical examiner show there have been 26 deaths related to kratom in the past five years across Manatee and Sarasota counties — 13 in each county. Law enforcement officials say an ordinance would be a proactive approach to what they believe could be similar to the opioid crisis.
Cramer said that if the Board of County Commissioners bans kratom, he would request that the ordinance go into effect across Manatee County, not just the unincorporated county.
“I think if we had that ban, we would take a step toward keeping it away from our county,” Cramer said.
Kratom is a tree native to Southeast Asia and its leaves are used to create products that some say have medical benefits. While some say kratom can be used to help treat pain, anxiety, depression and opioid withdrawal, the Food and Drug Administration warns the public against using kratom for medical purposes.
In low doses, kratom is said to be a stimulant and increase alertness, but in higher doses, it can become a sedative and cause psychosis, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Are there kratom-related deaths in the Suncoast?
According to medical examiner records, there have been 13 kratom-related deaths in each Manatee and Sarasota County — 26 deaths total — since 2020. Of those, two deaths were caused solely by mitragynine, one of the main psychoactive compounds in kratom.
One of the deaths caused by mitragynine happened last year in Manatee County, and was the only kratom-related death across both counties last year.
The other kratom-related deaths were overdoses or drug toxicity caused by mitragynine and other substances like fentanyl, cocaine or alcohol. The victims ranged from 25 to 61 years old.
Bradenton-area law enforcement pushes kratom ban
Wells and Cramer submitted letters in support of Manatee County creating a kratom ban.
“These substances are often marked as legal alternatives to controlled drugs, yet they carry serious risks including addiction, unpredictable psychoactive effects and dangerous interactions with other substances,” Wells said in the letter. “As a law enforcement professional, I have witnessed firsthand the impact these substances have on individuals, families and our community.”
Public health and safety are top of mind when law enforcement leaders think about the dangers of kratom, according to Cramer. He said people walking or driving around under the influence of kratom can result in serious issues and possibly death.
Law enforcement officials hope a kratom ban would reduce substance-related deaths.
“Even 26 deaths across two counties is 26 deaths too many,” Assistant Police Chief Brian Thiers said.
Cramer and Thiers said a ban ordinance would help law enforcement take a proactive approach to prevent what they said could become a problem similar to the opioid crisis.
“It’s basically a synthetic opioid,” Cramer said. “We already dealt with an opioid crisis.”
Without stricter regulations, manufacturers could continue to alter the chemical structure of kratom products to evade regulations.
“This is the evolution of law enforcement,” Thiers said. “The idea is we’re getting ahead of what could be a big issue for us.”
Manatee County considers kratom ban
Commissioner Amanda Ballard proposed the motion to look into an ordinance similar to Sarasota County’s, which is the only other county in the state that bans kratom and other designer drugs. Sarasota County enacted its kratom and designer drug ban in 2014.
In August, the Florida Attorney General James Uthemier filed an emergency rule removing one of kratom’s chemical compounds, 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), from shelves. The state already restricted other kratom products to adults over the age of 21.
Some kratom products can be found without 7-OH, but a ban like Sarasota County’s ordinance would prohibit kratom products no matter the chemical makeup.
After Ballard’s motion passed on Sept. 2 by a vote of 4-3, county staff will now do more research on kratom and draft an ordinance to ban the substance. An official vote on whether to ban kratom in Manatee County is expected at a later date.
This story was originally published September 15, 2025 at 5:50 AM.
