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Families across Minnesota’s Iron Range are confronting a substance that sits in plain sight on gas station counters. However, it’s not regulated like an opioid in The North Star State, even though doctors say it acts like one. Parker Martindale, a teenage boy from Cloquet, died from what his family says was a lethal amount …
Minnesota Teen’s Kratom Death Spurs Push for Regulation
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Families across Minnesota’s Iron Range are confronting a substance that sits in plain sight on gas station counters. However, it’s not regulated like an opioid in The North Star State, even though doctors say it acts like one.
Parker Martindale, a teenage boy from Cloquet, died from what his family says was a lethal amount of synthetic kratom he believed was an ordinary energy supplement. Communities across the Iron Range are organizing in his memory, and local advocates have launched a campaign warning families about the risks to young people.
Kratom and 7-OH
Kratom is an herbal substance derived from the leaves of the Mitragyna speciosa tree, native to Southeast Asia. It’s sold as capsules, powders, teas and liquid extracts. Kratom is also used to relieve chronic pain because of its opioid-like properties, leading to a high jump in numbers among folks who take it.
Its main active compounds are mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, commonly called 7-OH. Both interact with opioid receptors in the brain, Effects vary by dose and by how the product is consumed.
Synthetic 7-OH is sold as drinks, shots, powders, tablets, capsules and gummies, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. Many people can buy it in smoke shops and gas stations. In small amounts, kratom acts as a stimulant and is marketed as an energy booster or a way to manage anxiety. But in higher doses, it has severe effects and can kill.
Doctors on the Iron Range
Dr. Robert Pueringer is a medical toxicologist and addiction specialist at Essentia. He placed concentrated kratom in the same class of medications as fentanyl.
They’ve concentrated it and sold it and packaged it into pills. It has a much higher risk of leading to addiction, has a much higher risk of leading to a nasty withdrawal syndrome.”
Without FDA regulation, there’s no oversight preventing other harmful substances from being mixed in. Accordingly, doctors told the station that the lack of control has contributed to a fivefold increase in local kratom overdoses.
Minnesota Law
Kratom isn’t federally regulated and not fully regulated at the state level either. A new Minnesota law that took effect in August raised the legal purchase age from 18 to 21.
Parker’s family has started a petition to ban kratom sales locally. However, some doctors described the regulatory question as a double-edged sword.
The concern is that as regulation increases that these things go away and then where do they turn? You get something off the street, it will be fentanyl.
Stephinie Mckenzie has been organizing memorial events and questioned what happens after a legal purchase enters a household. “But what really happens after a 21-year-old purchases it and brings it home, especially when it’s marketed, like a five-hour energy drink?” she asked.
Harm Reduction and Treatment for Opioid Addiction
Because 7-OH acts on opioid receptors, the treatment tools for opioid addiction apply here.
- Naloxone aka Narcan can reverse an opioid overdose and is available without a prescription in Minnesota pharmacies. Signs of an opioid overdose include slowed or stopped breathing, blue or gray lips and fingertips and unresponsiveness. Call 911 immediately and stay with the person.
- Fentanyl test strips can identify fentanyl in a substance, though they don’t detect 7-OH or measure potency.
- For people who’ve developed dependence on concentrated kratom, stopping abruptly produces a significant withdrawal syndrome. Medically supervised withdrawal management is the safer route, and medications used for opioid use disorder are sometimes used to manage it. That decision belongs with a clinician.
Mckenzie also pointed to a gap that people in recovery on the Iron Range know well. “Not having accessible places where you can go get help, find resources, go to meetings, that adds to that number,” she noted.
Parker’s memorial event is scheduled for September 12 and will include food trucks, prizes, keynote speakers and free Narcan education. It closes with a memorial drive to dedicate a skate park bench in his honor.
NA Meetings and Treatment in Minnesota & Beyond
Peer support nevertheless remains one part of a recovery plan, alongside medical care. Accordingly, Narcotics Anonymous meetings are held across Minnesota. Many groups also meet online.
Our browsable meeting directory lets you search NA meetings by city, day, format, and meeting type. We index meetings and explain NA concepts for a general audience. You can also dial 800-934-1582(Sponsored) to speak with an expert.
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