Lafayette County Metro Narcotics said law enforcement agencies are treating the deaths as separate investigations. Officials also confirmed that officers found packaged kratom sold by a retail business, prompting officials to recommend that people avoid the product while testing continues.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we encourage everyone to avoid kratom and any other medication or substance that was not prescribed to you or obtained from a trusted, regulated source,” the agency said in its statement.
However, investigators have not confirmed what contributed to either death. The agency also urged the public not to speculate about the circumstances or causes while the investigations continue.
The students, both male, were 18 and 20 years old, Lafayette County Coroner Glenn Coleman told the Clarion Ledger. One was found Monday in an on-campus dormitory, while the other was discovered at an off-campus home, Coleman said.
Autopsies and toxicology tests were scheduled for both students, with results expected in two to three weeks, Coleman said. Authorities had not publicly released the students’ names as of Tuesday.
Local, state, and federal agencies are gathering evidence and working with the students’ families, according to Metro Narcotics. The agency said it would alert the public if investigators identify a confirmed threat to the community.
Kratom is not approved by the FDA, which warns it has been linked to seizures, liver toxicity, substance use disorder, and death. Most reported fatalities also involved other substances.
Kratom compounds can cause sedation, nausea, physical dependence, and slowed breathing, leading to death, the FDA added.
Officials have also raised concerns about concentrated or synthetic products containing 7-hydroxymitragynine, known as 7-OH. The dangerous opioid occurs naturally only in trace amounts in kratom leaves, but some products contain much higher concentrations and may be marketed as kratom.
The FDA says concentrated 7-OH can cause respiratory depression, dependence, and withdrawal, and poses an overdose risk.
