A 39-year-old carpenter died from severe seizures after taking the plant substance kratom in 2021.
Matthew Torres lived in Beavercreek with his long-time girlfriend, Meghan Gates, and enjoyed creating handmade decorative items that he would share with family and friends.
Gates found Mr. Torres “foaming at the mouth” in wealthy Clackamas County in Oregon.
He performed CPR on Mr. Torres until Emergency services arrived, but he was pronounced dead on May 27, 2021, a month before his 40th birthday.
The coroner determined that the cause of Torres’ death was “toxic effects of mitragynine,” the active compound in kratom, a herbal substance that is gaining popularity for the opioid and stimulant effects it produces.
His mother, Mary Torres, sued the cigarette store that sold it to her and is demanding $10 million in damages.
Matthew Torres, 39 years old, with his mother Mary Torres
The kratom that Mr. Torres was taking. The product package shows “100 percent pure mitragyna speciosa leaf powder” as an ingredient.
He had been using kratom to manage his “pain and muscle ailments,” according to the lawsuit, which he believed was non-addictive and had fewer side effects than opioids.
Kratom is a tree, also called mitragyna speciosa, that grows in Southeast Asia.
Mitragynine is one of its main psychoactive components, according to a World Health Organization report from December 2021.
It is often eaten by chewing its leaves or consuming them in powder form, and has been increasing in popularity as an alternative pain-relieving substance.
Mr. Torres was consuming power like a drink.
According to the lawsuit, Mr. Torres had been using a product called “Real Kratom” that he purchased at House of Pipes, a chain of tobacco stores in the Portland area.
The product package shows “100 percent pure mitragyna speciosa leaf powder” as an ingredient.
Torres worked as a skilled carpenter and lived with his girlfriend in Beavercreek, about 20 miles southeast of Portland.
There are no products containing kratom or its two main chemical components that are legally on the market in the U.S., the FDA said, and it is sold in stores and online.
Torres was using kratom for “his muscle aches and pains” as he thought it was a “non-addictive substitute for pharmaceuticals.”
According to the FDA, kratom is often used to self-treat pain, cough, diarrhea, anxiety and depression, opioid use disorder, and opioid withdrawal.
An estimated 1.7 million Americans ages 12 and older used kratom in 2021, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
In small doses, kratom can produce stimulant effects, the CDC said, and in higher doses, it can produce effects that mimic opioids.
In Southeast Asia, kratom has been used for centuries and is accepted as part of everyday life, similar to how coffee is drunk in the U.S., according to Christopher McCurdy, a professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Florida. and internationally recognized kratom expert. , who previously spoke with McClatchy News.
There has not been enough scientific data to evaluate the safety of kratom, the FDA said, and it can cause liver toxicity, seizures, substance use disorders and even death.
The lawsuit filed over Torres’ death says House of Pipes, and all business entities involved with kratom, have never said kratom was safe.
But House of Pipes has profited from selling “dangerous” kratom products to Mr. Torres and others, according to the complaint.
“I urge kratom users to do their homework on the product… Kratom sellers don’t tell you that it’s addictive and that you can die from it,” mctlaw attorney Tamara Williams told McClatchy News. .
“Until it is deemed safe and approved for use, do not use it.”
If House of Pipes had informed Mr. Torres of the risks of kratom, his death could have been prevented, according to the complaint.
“The kratom industry appears to be organized much like a drug cartel. Kratom manufacturers, distributors and sellers attempt to conceal their ownership and financial activities to avoid liability,” said Michael Cowgill, a mctlaw attorney representing to Mr. Torres’ family.
“Families like the Torres are tired of this deception and deserve justice,” Cowgill added.
The case is one of the most recent kratom-related wrongful death lawsuits filed in the United States.
Last year, Krystal Talavera, a mother of four, collapsed and died after taking kratom in 2021.
His eldest son, Devin Filippelli, sued the distributor of Kratom Grow LLC over his death, and a judge ruled that they must pay more than $11 million in damages.
Mctlaw also represented that case.