Scientists Find Kratom Alkaloids in Products Marketed as Kava in Alabama

Scientists Find Kratom Alkaloids in Products Marketed as Kava in Alabama Leave a Comment / Current Events , General , News , Research / By kratomjournalist In a study published June 30 in Clinical Toxicology , scientists found mitragynine, 7-hydroxymitragynine, and mitragynine-pseudoindoxyl in three liquid shot products being sold as “kava” in Alabama. Alabama law specifically lists mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine as Schedule I controlled substances. Though mitragynine-pseudoindoxyl is not specifically listed as a controlled substance in the state, it is controlled as an analogue of mitragynine. Alabama law explicitly states: “A controlled substance analogue is treated as a controlled substance in Schedule I” (Ala. Code § 20-2-23). The three products analyzed were: Happy Hour Shot 777 Mixed Berry, Happy Hour Shot BlueBurstPop, and Boujee Bliss Strawberry Banana. Kavalactones (alkaloids in kava) were identified in all three of the products. But all three products also contained mitragynine-pseudoindoxyl (ranging from approximately 163-207 micrograms), 7-hydroxymitragynine (ranging from approximately 3-10 micrograms) and mitragynine (ranging from approximately 34.3-38.7 micrograms). The researchers noted that “the predominance of mitragynine-pseudoindoxyl supports concern for intentional adulteration or mislabeling.” We did a search of the barcode number on two of the products ( Mixed Berry and BlueBurstPop ), and found that the barcode numbers are licensed to Dharma Isomers, LLC out of Duluth, GA. Dharma Isomers appears to operate the website https://dharmad8.com/ that sells legal cannabinoid products like Delta 8, HHC, and THCa. There are no kava or kratom products listed on this website. One distributor of Happy Hour kava shots, Star Importers, from Tucker, GA, sells a Happy Hour 777 product with the manufacturer listed as “Vita Shot “. This product has the same barcode numbers we searched that were attributed to Dharma Isomers. Another interesting aspect of the barcode search was that each of the product names had “Alabama” in the title. The full product names were “Kava Shot 12 Pack Display – Mixed Berry – Alabama – 30mL” and “Kava Shot 12 Pack Display – Blue Burst Pop – Alabama – 30mL”. The authors of the Clinical Toxicology article did not identify where they acquired the samples, only that “Selected products represented those most frequently referenced by patients and clinicians and available at local retail locations.” In 2025, Alabama Poison Control identified multiple cases of opioid-like withdrawal linked to products labeled as kava, which is not known to cause physical dependence. One case report, published June 29 in Journal of Addiction Medicine , describes a patient: “A 36-year-old White male with opioid use disorder in sustained remission developed rapid tolerance, frequent redosing, nocturnal withdrawal, prominent gastrointestinal and autonomic symptoms, and generalized pruritus after heavy use of a gas-station-sold “kava” shot. Symptoms were refractory to benzodiazepines but improved rapidly with buprenorphine/naloxone; this suggests µ-opioid receptor–mediated dependence.” This is not the first time kratom alkaloids have been found in products marketed as kava without being disclosed on the label. In 2023, consumers filed a class-action lawsuit in federal court in California alleging the company Botanic Tonics marketed its “Feel