CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Tennessee investigators are warning consumers about products being sold as a legal herbal supplement that may actually contain an illegal drug.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says it’s seeing an increase in products labeled as “Cat’s Claw” that, in reality, contain kratom.
Cat’s Claw is a vine from South America that is legal to purchase and consume in Tennessee, while kratom remains illegal.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has noticed that some items sold as “Cat’s Claw,” a legal South American vine, actually contain MGM-15, which is made from Kratom. (Photo: TBI)
The agency says the mislabeling can make it more difficult for people to know what they are buying and consuming.
Tennessee’s ban on kratom took effect in July, but TBI officials say the substance is showing up again on store shelves, including in tablet form mixed with Cat’s Claw.
TBI Agent Mark Delaney says…
“It poses a high risk of overdose, whether fatal and or non-fatal.”
Agent Delaney says the agency has seen 18 instances since July in which tablet packs labeled as Cat’s Claw that were laced with kratom were submitted to the TBI crime lab, including some products that did not list kratom as an ingredient.
“I’d like to reiterate that cat’s claw itself is legal,” Delaney says.
Delaney says the TBI is issuing public awareness alerts in response.
“We’re making public safety and health awareness bulletins to make sure that the consumers actually know what they’re they’re trying to consume,” he says.
File : Sarah Weitzman – WSET
Thad Oliver, a clinician with CADAS, says he has been around many victims of kratom overdose or withdrawal and warned that the mislabeled tablets can be dangerous.
“If you don’t know what you’re putting in your body, you can overdose from it,” Oliver says.
The TBI says anyone who needs help with substance abuse can call or text the Tennessee Redline.