The authorities investigating the recent deaths of two University of Mississippi students have warned people to avoid using the herbal substance Kratom after they found the product during the separate inquiries.
The causes of the deaths remain unclear. In a statement on Tuesday, the Lafayette County Metro Narcotics team said it had not determined whether Kratom, which is legally sold in gas stations and used to self-treat depression and anxiety, or any other substance contributed to their deaths.
“However, packaged Kratom sold from a retail store was found during both investigations,” it said in the statement. “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 county statement noted that Narcan, a treatment for overdoses, was available for free on campus and at a parking garage in downtown Oxford, Miss., home to the university. It urged students to rely only on verified information about the deaths from official sources.
“We understand that uncertainty can cause fear and rumors,” it said.
Both students were found dead on Monday afternoon. One was found on campus, and one off campus, Jacob Batte, a spokesman for the university, said on Wednesday.
Shawnboda Mead, vice chancellor for student affairs at the university, said in a statement on Tuesday that the causes of the deaths were still under investigation and urged students to rely on officially released information about the circumstances. She added that local and state law enforcement departments were working with the university’s police force.
The identities of the students had not been released as of early Wednesday. The county coroner and the Oxford and university police departments did not respond to phone messages or email.
Glenn Coleman, the coroner, told The Clarion Ledger newspaper that one of the students who died was an 18-year-old male, and the other was a 20-year-old male. Toxicology results would take weeks, he said.
While the investigation continued, the deaths raised concerns about the use of drugs on campus, even as students and the university community in Mississippi awaited official confirmation of the causes of deaths. The university drew national attention, and plenty of visitors, over the weekend because of a highly anticipated football game against Louisiana State University on Saturday.
The education secretary, Linda McMahon, said the deaths were a “tragedy” and a “reminder of the dangers facing young people and the importance of keeping our campuses safe and drugs out of our communities.”
The University of Mississippi is the state’s largest university by enrollment, with more than 28,000 students on seven campuses.
Student groups at the university have sent out warnings about drug use, and some canceled events out of respect for those who died, the campus newspaper, The Daily Mississippian, reported. Some fraternities and sororities warned members about cychlorphine, a potent synthetic opioid, and urged them to avoid unprescribed substances and to administer Narcan if an overdose is suspected.
Marsha Weems Stacey, a judge in Madison County justice court, in a social media post, urged people to be careful with any such substances.
“As a judge who routinely signs warrants in drug-related situations, please know: NOTHING you buy in a gas station is safe,” she wrote. “So much is counterfeit. Packaging may say it is one thing, but this stuff is made in places that have no regulations, so you really don’t know what you are ingesting.”
Kratom products are prepared from the leaves of the Kratom tree, which is native to Southeast Asia, and is available in stores in the United States or online, in natural and synthetic forms. But it is not approved for medical uses or as a dietary supplement, and can have serious side effects, including seizures and liver toxicity.
From 2020 through 2024, Kratom was found in the system of more than 5,200 people who died of drug overdoses, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Though often found in combination with other drugs, one study determined that those using Kratom carried a sixfold increase in the risk of overdose death, according to a Times investigative report in July that examined proposals and regulations of Kratom.
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