Bill to ban kratom tabled at state Capitol

ATLANTA — At the state Capitol, a bill to ban an unregulated herb that some say is deadly is being tabled for now.

Kratom is sold as capsules, powder, and liquid in gas stations and smoke shops across Georgia.

Some say the herb has helped ease their pain and anxiety.

Others blame kratom for contributing to the deaths of their family members.

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State legislators say they will revise the bill for future consideration.

Back in October, Channel 2 Action News talked to a family from metro Atlanta whose 23-year-old son died after using kratom.

Ethan Pope’s parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the manufacturers, distributors, and retailers of OPMS Black Liquid Kratom.

Ethan died after taking the popular, but controversial, herbal supplement.

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“This should’ve never happened. Ethan should be here today with his family not in a decorative box on our bookshelf,” Ethan’s mother, Dana Pope, said.

The attorneys who filed this lawsuit told Channel 2 Action News it’s the first of its kind here in Georgia.

The lawsuit is still under litigation.

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