Lafayette County Metro Narcotics said the deaths are being investigated separately and there is no confirmed evidence they are connected.
The deaths of two University of Mississippi students have put new attention on kratom, a substance sold in some gas stations and convenience stores that investigators say was found during both death investigations.
Lafayette County Metro Narcotics said the deaths are being investigated separately and there is no confirmed evidence they are connected. Investigators said packaged kratom from a retail store was found during both investigations, but they have not determined it contributed to either death. Authorities issued a warning to avoid kratom while the investigations continue.
“College is supposed to be where we grow and gain new experiences. It's not supposed to be where our lives end,” an Ole Miss student said.
The concerns come as Florida has expanded enforcement targeting a potent kratom-derived compound. Just months ago, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier expanded the state’s crackdown on highly concentrated 7-OH, a compound derived from kratom.
“In the first four months of 2026, Florida Poison Control has already received 95 cases of calls of 7-OH and other derivatives. At this pace we're going to surpass our last year's numbers,” said Dr. Cory Howard of Florida Poison Control.
Addiction psychiatrist Dr. Lantie Jorandby, medical director at Canopy Pines Recovery, said what may start as something marketed for energy, sleep or pain can develop into a dependence that is difficult and expensive to break.
“I've had patients who spend hundreds of dollars a day on kratom because they've just become so dependent on it that when they stop it, they go into terrible withdrawal,” Jorandby said.
Jorandby said kratom affects the body in ways similar to opioids and that withdrawal can resemble what people experience with drugs like fentanyl or Percocet. She said the potential for dependence can be easy to underestimate, especially when the product is sold in everyday places.
“If you buy it at a gas station, who would think it would be harmful to you, right? I mean, I certainly wouldn't necessarily, if I didn't know better, think that this was something harmful to buy,” she said.
Jorandby said she sees people struggling with kratom dependence at “two peaks,” including teens and people in their 20s, as well as people in their 40s and 50s.
“I think what we would say is it's kind of what we call bimodal. So, you see two peaks, the lower age peaks in like teens and 20s, and then kind of middle age, so 40s or 50s,” she said.
For younger people, she said dependence can develop while they are in school or just starting a career. For those in their 40s and 50s, she said it can come after they have already built a career and family.
Jorandby said warning signs can include changes in mood or activity, becoming more secretive or withdrawn, and flu-like symptoms when someone stops using it.
Florida has moved to restrict highly concentrated 7-OH, but the state has not banned kratom altogether.
