The investigation into the deaths of two University of Mississippi students has prompted the kratom industry to challenge early descriptions of products reportedly recovered at the locations. Industry representatives argue that synthetic opioids and chemically modified compounds should not be characterized as natural kratom.

Court documents show that Aidan Hamilton, 18, and Robert Strang, 20, were discovered dead on Sept. 21 at separate locations. Toxicology results from the medical examiner remain pending, leaving the causes of their deaths undetermined.

Initial reports described items found near the students as packaged kratom or synthetic kratom. Investigators later said only that packaging associated with kratom related products had been recovered at both locations.

“During the investigations, packaging associated with kratom-related products was discovered at both locations,” Lafayette County Metro Narcotics, a department in the sheriff’s office, said in a Sept. 30 statement.

Court documents identify Modus as the name appearing on packaging found near both students. An affidavit describes the tablets as Smax Pseudo-DHM and lists pseudoindoxyl and MGM-15(DHM) among the ingredients on the package recovered near Hamilton.

Mac Haddow, senior fellow on public policy at the American Kratom Association in Virginia, said the group was troubled by the original characterization. He contended that a natural kratom leaf product was highly unlikely to have caused two independent deaths.

“We were deeply concerned with that characterization because it is highly unlikely, if not statistically improbable, that a natural kratom leaf product would be the cause of two deaths independently, let alone one,” Haddow told Fox News Digital.

After attempting to contact the Oxford Police Department, the association held a news conference in Oxford and asked officials to clarify the disclosure. Haddow said the later description indicated that the recovered products were chemically manipulated opioids rather than kratom.

“We are grateful for the clarification because what they have told us and disclosed is that these, in fact, were highly synthetic and importantly controlled substances under the Federal Controlled Substances Act,” Haddow said. He added, “Those products never should have been on the market in the first place in those locations.”

Mississippi regulates kratom sales through the Mississippi Kratom Consumer Protection Act rather than banning the product. The law establishes standards for sellers, permitted products and labeling while prohibiting certain adulterated products and those with high potency.

Haddow questioned why the state law was not being enforced. The American Kratom Association says its priority is protecting natural leaf products while banning synthetic compounds marketed in connection with kratom.

According to Haddow, natural kratom leaves have been used for centuries in Southeast Asia. He said no published reports have linked traditional leaf use in that region to deaths, although medical literature describes some adverse effects associated with long term use.

Haddow believes kratom spread in the United States after the Vietnam War through returning soldiers and Southeast Asian immigrants. Researchers, however, have noted that this account remains unsubstantiated in published literature.

The FDA issued an import alert concerning kratom products in 2012. In 2016, the DEA sought to temporarily classify kratom’s primary alkaloids as Schedule I substances, but the agency withdrew that proposal following public comment.

The FDA maintains that kratom has not been approved for any medical use and has warned about dependence, contamination and adverse events. Researchers continue studying the plant and its individual compounds, while agencies have raised concerns about concentrated and chemically modified products containing high levels of 7-hydroxymitragynine, also called 7-OH.

Haddow said 7-OH products, including pseudoindoxyl and compounds known as MGM-15 and MGM-16, should be classified as synthetic opioids rather than kratom. He argued that government agencies should not attribute adverse events involving such products to natural leaf kratom.

The association supports state regulations requiring product testing, accurate labeling and age restrictions instead of outright bans. Haddow said access should be limited to people who are 21 or older and urged authorities to ensure that product formulations are safe.

Haddow also cited an NIH led study moving forward to evaluate whether purified mitragynine, the main alkaloid in the kratom plant, could help treat opioid use disorder. For now, toxicology findings in the deaths of Hamilton and Strang remain pending as the investigation continues.