Over the past decade, kratom has been linked to 233 deaths in the United States. Most of those cases involved other substances as well, but the trend line is climbing fast, and one of the biggest accelerators is sitting on convenience-store shelves right now.

It is a small blue bottle called Feel Free. Sold at gas stations, liquor stores, and smoke shops nationwide, this two-ounce kratom-and-kava shot has moved more than 130 million servings and now generates over $250 million a year. In some weeks, at some major convenience chains, it has outsold Red Bull and Monster. It is everywhere, and it does not look like a drug.

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I was in a gas station over by one of my Clinics in Glendale and a frantic man out of money came in and litterally begged the clerk to give him a bottle of Feel Free as he was unable to manage the pain of withdrawal, and Feel Free, hence the name is powerful enough to grant him that resolve. The clerk then looked up at me as I was paying and said “ I get that exact scenario at least 20 times a day, this stuff is so addictive “

The human cost is rising right alongside the sales. Calls to U.S. poison centers about kratom jumped roughly 1,200 percent, from 258 in 2015 to a record 3,434 in 2025. Hospitalizations and serious medical outcomes climbed just as sharply over the same period. And this is no longer only an adult problem. In October 2025, several eighth-graders at a Georgia middle school were hospitalized after eating gummies on campus; officials first identified the substance as kratom, and the state attorney general has since warned that products like these are being spiked with a concentrated kratom compound called 7-OH. School districts from Michigan to Florida are now sending letters home warning parents that what some are calling “gas-station heroin” is turning up in kids’ backpacks.

Here is what worries me most as someone who works in this field. The adolescent brain is uniquely vulnerable to kratom. The prefrontal cortex, the part responsible for judgment, impulse control, and weighing consequences, is still wiring itself into the mid-twenties. Kratom’s alkaloids act on the same mu-opioid and dopamine pathways that drive addiction, and they do it in a brain that is still under construction. In preclinical studies, adolescent rats exposed to kratom for as little as two weeks showed lasting cognitive and behavioral deficits that carried into adulthood: poorer memory, impaired learning, and altered brain chemistry in pathways tied to inflammation, energy metabolism, and serotonin production. In plain language, a child who starts early can end up with a brain that craves the drug, struggles to focus or feel ordinary joy, and carries a far higher lifetime risk of addiction.

Access is the other half of the problem. A child does not even need a fake ID to get products far more potent than the bottle at the counter. Hundreds of kratom websites sell extracts and gummies behind nothing but a pop-up box that says “I am 21.” No identification, no verification, no signature on delivery. One click, one lie, and it lands on your doorstep.

Warning signs to watch for

  • Sudden mood swings or irritability, especially when your child cannot get their “fix”
  • Hiding small bottles, gummies, or packages; frequent online orders or smoke-shop trips
  • Runny nose, constricted pupils, sweating, or unexplained muscle aches
  • Falling grades, pulling away from family and friends, sleeping far more or far less than usual

If you suspect your child is using, here is a plan

  1. Stay calm and pick the right moment. Choose a quiet, private time. Open with care, not accusation: “I love you, and I’m worried about something I’ve noticed. Can we talk?”
  2. Listen first. Ask why they tried it and what has felt hard lately. Let them finish without interrupting. Trust is what makes the rest possible.
  3. Share facts, not fear. Calmly explain the risks to a developing brain and the real potential for addiction. Make clear you are worried about their safety and their future, not looking to punish them.
  4. Set clear expectations. Be specific about what happens in your home, and follow through consistently.
  5. Get professional support the same day. Call your pediatrician or a substance-use counselor. SAMHSA’s free, confidential National Helpline is available 24/7 at 1-800-662-HELP (4357), and findtreatment.samhsa.gov can connect you to local care. Many communities offer teen-specific outpatient programs that include the whole family.
  6. Support the long road. Remove the product from your home, stay engaged with devices and spending, encourage healthy outlets, and attend family sessions together. Recovery holds best when the whole family is in it.

Kratom is not harmless “natural energy.” It is quietly rewiring young brains and filling emergency rooms. The encouraging part is that early action from parents saves lives. Start the conversation today.

Author: William Travis Steffens is founder and CEO of NOVA ViA.