{"id":11236,"date":"2026-10-12T15:35:58","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T15:35:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/?p=11236"},"modified":"2026-10-12T15:35:59","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T15:35:59","slug":"tupd-warns-students-about-kratom-after-suspected-ole-miss-overdoses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/2026\/10\/12\/tupd-warns-students-about-kratom-after-suspected-ole-miss-overdoses\/","title":{"rendered":"TUPD warns students about kratom after suspected Ole Miss overdoses\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION<\/a>) \u2014 After two University of Mississippi students died from<\/a> suspected overdoses after allegedly consuming kratom products, the Troy University Police Department<\/a> (TUPD) is warning students about the drug.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kratom is a drug that can come as either organic or synthetic, and in small amounts it acts as a stimulant. In higher doses, though, it begins to have opioid-like effects and can become addictive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Variances in the potency of kratom products can make risks, including overdose, unpredictable for those who choose to use it.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWorst case scenario, these synthetics can lead to death, but there\u2019s so many things short of death that can happen to you,\u201d said TUPD Police Chief George Beaudry. \u201cThere\u2019s no easy way to stay safe if you\u2019re choosing that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI literally call it Russian roulette.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>TUPD Chief George Beaudry<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has kratom listed as a drug<\/a> and chemical of concern, which means that it is not an illegal substance at the federal level.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, the state of Alabama has made it illegal to buy, sell, own or use kratom. Alabama is one of just nine states to ban kratom and kratom products. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While kratom products are illegal in Alabama, repackaging and unclear branding can make it difficult to discern what exactly could be inside the drugs at your local gas stations and vape shops. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

TOP STORIES: City Police Department addresses Flock cameras in Troy<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou read the package and they make it sound like it\u2019s nothing or something OK,\u201d Beaudry said. \u201cIf it\u2019s not prescribed to you by a doctor, don\u2019t buy it from the gas station, don\u2019t buy it from the vape shop and don\u2019t take it from your friend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou truly don\u2019t know what\u2019s in that pill.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beaudry also says while the products may be illegal, it\u2019s still sold and used inside Alabama\u2019s state lines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s out there,\u201d Beaudry said. \u201cIt is out there and it\u2019s everywhere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re still seeing it all the time. Every day.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In May, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) launched Operation Southern Shield, which saw officers execute 83 search warrants and seize nearly 123,000 doses of illegal kratom<\/a> products from shops across the state.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TrojanVision asked 36 students across campus if they had ever heard of kratom. Of those students, two said they had heard of it, one knew about it and its effects and the other 33 had never heard of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION) \u2014 After two University of Mississippi students died from suspected overdoses after allegedly consuming kratom products, the Troy University Police Department (TUPD) is warning students about the drug.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kratom is a drug that can come as either organic or synthetic, and in small amounts it acts as a stimulant. In higher doses,…<\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":11242,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1127],"tags":[3459,3457,3456,3460,3458,1142],"topics":[17],"class_list":["post-11236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-news","tag-dea","tag-drugs","tag-kratom","tag-operation-southern-shield-alabama","tag-troy-university-kratom","tag-troy-university-police-department","topics-troy-campus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11236"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11236\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11241,"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11236\/revisions\/11241"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11236"},{"taxonomy":"topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics?post=11236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}