HALL COUNTY, Ga. — Just days after two Ole Miss students were found dead, one of them from Atlanta, lawmakers held a blue-ribbon study committee hearing on the campus of the University of Georgia on the potential danger of Kratom products to young people.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Kratom is being considered as a possible contributing factor in the deaths of the students, because a retail kratom product was found near both students, who were discovered at their residences in separate locations at the University of Mississippi Monday afternoon.
One of the students is Robert Strang. The 20-year-old junior grew up in Atlanta and attended North High Atlanta High School before enrolling at Ole Miss.
“It’s tragic that a young person should die like that. We will find out what happened with the toxicology reports. Unfortunately, if it does involve Kratom, right now in most places, it’s hard to standardize that substance. So you’re not sure what you’re getting. It’s like Russian roulette,” said Georgia Republican State Representative Rick Townsend.
Townsend, from Brunswick, chaired the study commission panel, which heard from experts and other witnesses. The goal is to devise legislative and law enforcement strategies to reduce the potential harm of Kratom to young people. Representative Townsend spearheaded the passage of new laws to restrict the sale of potent, synthetic forms of Kratom, which health officials say can be highly addictive and dangerous.
“There’s restrictions now. It’s all about enforcement. Really, it has to be set up where the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Revenue take over enforcement. And that’s going to take money,” said Townsend.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Ex-Cartersville police officer accused of stealing money from evidence room
- Detective accused of stealing $19 pack of beer from Publix while driving undercover car
- Cybertip sparks arrest of 24-year-old Georgia man on child exploitation charge
A man who said he became addicted to synthetic Kratom attended the hearing.
“To me it’s a poison. I almost died. I went through withdrawal for three days,” said Nick Morgan.
Morgan says he purchased Kratom, most in pill form, at a gas station, spending around $50 a day. After three weeks, he tried to stop, but had excruciating withdrawal symptoms requiring hospitalization.
“I started having a panic attack. I thought maybe it was a heart attack. I didn’t know. I want people to know this is very, very dangerous,” said Morgan.
UGA students say the tragic deaths of the Ole Miss students are alarming.
“It’s awful. I can’t believe this is happening,” said student Lena Almer.
Another student said he wouldn’t consider taking synthetic Kratom.
“The stuff is scary. That’s probably the biggest thing I want to say,” said student Nick Polumeyz.
Investigators in Oxford, Mississippi, say the results of toxicology tests on the student could take several weeks to complete.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2026 Cox Media Group
