Unregulated Supplements Pose Hazards to Users

Supplements have been all over the news for the last year, mostly regarding whether or not the substance indicated on the packaging is even in the product you are buying. The Food and Drug Administration gives manufacturers broad leeway on regulation, and will only step in when consumer fraud is all but proven even without their investigation. All too often, what you think you are buying is not what you are getting.

But the supplement currently in the news is not there because of packaging concerns. It is there because the product itself is dangerous, and it might not even be a supplement. As the opioid epidemic continues to ravage America, more and more Americans are trying to figure out how to kick the habit or help friends quit.

Kratom is being marketed as a solution to help people deal with their opioid addiction. The drug, which is being marketed simply as a supplement, is a plant derivative, just like opium is. It supposedly helps with opioid withdrawal symptoms, but after being linked to 36 deaths, the FDA is investigating whether it is fraudulently being billed as a supplement when it is much more.

Research indicates that Kratom has many of the same benefits and side effects as opioids themselves. This means that in reality, it is simply a drug that is currently unregulated and being sold to consumers as a safe alternative when it is not. Kratom appears to even carry a risk for addiction, and it clearly can still lead to death.

If you or someone you love has been harmed by mis-marketed or defectively designed drugs, it is important you reach out to an attorney. As the Kratom situation makes clear, a drug can hurt and kill many people before the government will step in. An experienced lawyer can help you hold businesses accountable for their dangerous actions.