Officer’s death intensifies scrutiny of herbal supplement

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – An upstate New York police officer’s death is the latest to raise questions about the herbal supplement kratom (KRAY-tuhm).

Sgt. Matt Dana died this summer at his home in the Adirondack Mountain town of Tupper Lake.

An autopsy attributed it to an overdose of kratom, an herb from Southeast Asia commonly sold as an energy booster and painkiller.

In this Sept. 27, 2017 photo, kratom capsules are displayed in Albany, N.Y. An upstate New York coroner’s classification of a young police sergeant’s death as a kratom overdose has sparked controversy among advocates of the herbal supplement who fear it could fuel efforts to ban it. Sgt. Matt Dana died in August 2017 at his home in Tupper Lake. A month later, the coroner said a toxicology study found only a high level of kratom in his blood. He said the 27-year-old officer died of hemorrhagic pulmonary edema, blood and fluid in the lungs. (AP Photo/Mary Esch)

Kratom advocates fear the officer’s death could be used in efforts to ban the supplement.

Six states have already done so and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency proposed a ban last year, citing 15 previous deaths from 2014 to 2016.

The DEA later withdrew the proposal and now says it will make a decision after further study by the Food and Drug Administration.

This undated photo provided by the Tupper Lake Police Department shows Sgt. Matthew Dana. An upstate New York coroner's classification of the young police officer's death in August, 2017 as a kratom overdose has sparked controversy among advocates of the herbal supplement who fear it could fuel efforts to ban it. Proponents of the herb, which is under Food and Drug Administration review, dispute the local coroner's finding, saying kratom couldn't have caused the pulmonary edema that killed Dana. (Tupper Lake Police Department via AP)

This undated photo provided by the Tupper Lake Police Department shows Sgt. Matthew Dana. An upstate New York coroner’s classification of the young police officer’s death in August, 2017 as a kratom overdose has sparked controversy among advocates of the herbal supplement who fear it could fuel efforts to ban it. Proponents of the herb, which is under Food and Drug Administration review, dispute the local coroner’s finding, saying kratom couldn’t have caused the pulmonary edema that killed Dana. (Tupper Lake Police Department via AP)

Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk