In 2022, the Wetherington Law Firm filed civil action 22-A-1536 in the State Court of Cobb County, State of Georgia, for plaintiffs Dana Pope and John Pope, surviving parents of Ethan Pope, against 15 defendants, with this opening salvo:
For years, a group of people, companies, and industry-funded interest organizations have been collaborating to unlawfully import kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) from Indonesia, create a market for their known-deadly concoctions, and prevent meaningful accountability, with tactics ranging from bullying and threats, to paying key legislators as “consultants.”1
Well, that should get your attention.
Kratom is a substance that most law enforcement professionals are completely unaware of, despite the fact that it could significantly affect the outcome of various types of investigations and litigation; while obscure, the substance has garnered the attention of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and generated a multimillion-dollar study at the University of Florida.2 It has been touted as an herbal supplement that can help those addicted to opioids, yet it is blamed for deaths in many states, including the death of a police officer in New York.3
