Iowa officials warn residents to avoid kratom

State officials are warning Iowans not to buy a product called kratom that’s being sold in some Iowa convenience stores and gas stations as well as shops that sell cigarettes or vapes. Leaves from a kratom plant are crushed to make an organic version and Governor Kim Reynolds said some synthetic versions of kratom are 46 times as powerful as morphine.  State officials report in the first seven months of this year, there have been 16 kratom-related deaths in Iowa.  Last Tuesday, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency classified three synthetic kratom derivatives as illegal drugs and three days later an undercover agent bought the illegal products in an Iowa store at a discounted price.  The state will launch a public relations campaign in October with warnings about kratom and share information with Iowans about where they can go to get help.