How Dangerous Is Kratom? Drug at Ole Miss Linked to MrBeast Trainer Death
Two students at the University of Mississippi have died. Local authorities said that kratom products were discovered in separate investigations into their deaths.
Kratom, an herbal substance with opioid-like qualities and carrying a high risk of addiction, has not been directly linked to the deaths at this stage but is forming a part of the investigation.
Investigators are working to determine how the 18- and 20-year-old students, whose identities have not been released to the public, died; one in a dorm, the other, off-campus. Campus, local and state officials are expanding overdose prevention outreach and urging students not to speculate.
Lafayette County, the home of the University of Mississippi, has had a local ban on kratom products since 2021. The county restricts their sale and use, even though Mississippi law generally permits kratom sales to people 21 and older; state law expressly preserves countiesβ ability to maintain such local restrictions.
In 2025, kratom was linked to the death of a fitness coach named Tyler Wall, who had worked with MrBeast. Wall, 38, unexpectedly passed away during the production of a video titled: "Lose 100 LBs, Win $250,000!".
Newsweek viewed a copy of Wallβs death certificate at the time. His manner of death was listed as accidental, and the immediate cause of his death was "Mitragynine Toxicity."
Mitragynine is an indole-based alkaloid. It is a main psychoactive constituent in the plant Mitragyna speciosa, commonly known as kratom.
Kratom is a plant that originates from Southeast Asia. Online, it is sold in powders, liquid shots, tea and pills.
Some people have taken kratom to ease the symptoms of quitting opioid drugs while in withdrawal.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned people not to use kratom, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) describes it as a drug of concern.
The Mayo Clinic says that kratom can be used in low doses as a stimulant, and in higher doses as a sedative.
However, it describes kratom as unsafe and states that it carries a risk of addiction.
New research from the University of Michigan and Texas State University states that usage of kratom is rising, and that popularity is also rising among young adults.
The study also discovered that those who use kratom are more likely to have addiction and mental health issues.
The study found that over 5 million people in the U.S. say that they have used kratom in their life. This includes more than 100,000 children between the ages of 12 and 17.
Usage of kratom is at an all-time high, and it is increasing in the U.S.
There is limited public data on deaths caused by kratom each year.
The Mayo Clinic states that kratom products have been linked to a "small number of deaths."
The clinic also states that kratom products have in the past been found to have heavy metals, like lead, and harmful germs such as salmonella.
Over 35 deaths have been linked by the FDA to salmonella-tainted kratom.
In a report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2026, it reported that there had been 14,449 kratom-related poison center exposure reports from 2015 to 2025, but that does not refer to fatalities.
The CDC describes kratom usage as a "public health concern."
