Mother sues three bars claiming kratom tea they served her daughter, 19, left her with brain damage

A Florida mother is suing three bars, alleging that they served her daughter a tea made from an herbal opioid substitute that left her with brain damage.

Mary Tabar says her 19-year-old daughter, Brette, was a regular at three bars that served tea made from the kratom leaf, marketed to treat anxiety and pain, for more than four years.   

However, in March, Brette began suffering ‘psychotic episodes and hallucinations so severe that she was confined pursuant’ to the Florida Mental Health Act, according to the lawsuit.

Doctors soon discovered that Brette had damage to the frontal lobe of her brain, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Now, Mary is suing Bula on the Beach, Bula Kafe and Mad Hatter’s Ethnobotanical Tea Bar, all in Pinellas County, for negligence with claims they failed to warn her daughter of the dangerous side effects.

In March, Brette (pictured) allegedly began suffering from 'psychotic episodes and hallucinations'

The mother of Brette Tabar, 19 (left and right), is suing three bars in Pinellas County, Florida, claiming that the kratom tea they served her over four years left her with brain damage. In March, Brette allegedly began suffering from ‘psychotic episodes and hallucinations’

The bars - Bula on the Beach, Bula Kafe and Mad Hatter's Ethnobotanical Tea Bar (pictured) - are being sued for negligence, with claims they failed to warn Brette of the dangerous side effects

The bars – Bula on the Beach, Bula Kafe and Mad Hatter’s Ethnobotanical Tea Bar (pictured) – are being sued for negligence, with claims they failed to warn Brette of the dangerous side effects

Kratom is a type of tree that is found in Southeast Asian countries including Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand.

The leaves contain compounds that can have psychotropic, or mind-altering, effects, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

The leaves can be crushed or powdered and taken in capsule or tablet form, as well as brewed into teas.

It’s often used to treat anxiety and chronic pain as well as opioid dependency.

However, according to the US Food and Drug Administration, mitragynine – which is the main, active ingredient in kratom – interacts with the brain’s opioid receptors, and carries a potential risk for dependence. 

The US Drug Enforcement Administration announced in August 2016 that it would be classifying kratom as a Schedule I drug, the same category ecstasy, heroin and LSD fall into – but was met with pushback.

However, the drug has been banned in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

Supporters, such as the American Kratom Agency, say the plant is harmless and that any harmful effects only occur when abused or mixed with other drugs. 

But the FDA has linked kratom to 44 deaths between 2011 and 2017.

‘Our complaint lays out our allegations pretty clearly. The complaint stems from the sale of this dangerous product, kratom,’ Mary Tabar’s attorney, Chase Carpenter, told the Times.

‘It is a dangerous product that has certainly caused injury to people, and it has certainly caused injury to our client.’

Carpenter told the newspaper that a physician treating Brette was the one who made the connection between kratom and her brain damage, but he said he was not able to explain how to due to the lawsuit.

However, Carpenter’s complaint states that the bars failed to warn customers of the potentially dangerous side effects.

Family lawyer Chase Carpenter told the newspaper that a physician treated Brette (pictured) was the one who made the connection between kratom and her brain damage

The lawsuit also states that the tea aggravated a pre-existing condition, but it is unclear what the condition was. Pictured: Brette

Family lawyer Chase Carpenter told the newspaper that a physician treated Brette (left and right) was the one who made the connection between kratom and her brain damage. The lawsuit also states that the tea aggravated a pre-existing condition, but it is unclear what the condition was 

Kratom is a type of tree that is found in Southeast Asian countries whose leaves contain compounds that can have psychotropic effects (file image of kratom tablets) 

Kratom is a type of tree that is found in Southeast Asian countries whose leaves contain compounds that can have psychotropic effects (file image of kratom tablets) 

The bars are being held liable for ‘bodily injury and resulting pain and suffering, aggravation of a pre-existing condition, mental anguish, loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life, past and future medical and nursing care expenses and treatment’.

Carpenter would not tell the newspaper what pre-existing condition Brette had or if she took any medications for it. 

Levi Love, who owns Mad Hatter’s, told the Times he’s never hear of someone suing a tea bar for brain damage before.

He says his bartenders explain to every customer what the tea is made from and even warns them not to drink it if they’re taking medication. 

‘I think it’s completely unfounded. Being around people who drink kratom and use it regularly, I’ve never seen these symptoms or heard of them,’ Love said.

‘Never a psychotic episode and certainly not hallucinating or brain damage.’

Love says he doesn’t know Brette, despite the lawsuit’s claim that she was a regular customer.

Additionally, he says that if she was a regular over four years, she would have started drinking the tea when she was 15 – but he says his bar has a strict 18-and-over policy.

He adds that most people who use kratom are responsible users and says it is likely Brette abused it.   

‘That would be terrible for all of the people that are using it responsibly,’ he said. ‘It’s gonna take away our freedom to do what we want with our bodies. Whatever you’re gonna do, just do it responsibility.’ 

DailyMail.com has contacted Bula on the Beach, Bula Kafe and Mad Hatter’s Ethnobotanical Tea Bar for comment.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk