ADAMS COUNTY, Ill. (WGEM) – Following the death of Chad White due to a kratom overdose, his family is raising awareness of the dangers of the drug.
Kratom is a drug that comes from a tree in Southeast Asia. It has been a hot topic in the United States since 2016 when the Drug Enforcement Agency announced it intended to classify it as a Schedule 1 drug. However, the agency was sued by kratom companies and therefore no classification was given.
“Now, it seems to be in every smoke shop and every gas station around,” said Wayne Gilliland, substance abuse counselor.
In August of 2024, Chad White, a 34-year-old father of two living in Adams County, suffered an overdose from the drug in front of his children.
“He died within about six feet of his daughters,” White’s mother Lisa Garner said.
The lethal dosage of mitragynine, the chemical in kratom, has not been confirmed due to a lack of testing. However, in a case report by the University of Missouri School of Medicine, they stated that in many cases of kratom related deaths, the deceased tested anywhere from 50 to 600 nanograms per milliliters of mitragynine in the blood.
In his toxicology report, Chad White’s blood tested at 2,900 nanograms per milliliter of mitragynine. Therefore, the cause of death was listed as mitragynine intoxication.
“You would think an underlying heart issue and I didn’t really expect it to be just that,” said Tiffany White, Chad White’s sister.
Although heartbroken, the family explained the best course of action is to spread awareness on the dangers of the drug which is only banned in Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin.
“I really feel like kratom first of all needs to be researched, because I don’t think anybody knows what is too much,” Garner explained.
White was a recovering heroin user and had been clean for 10 years. According to Garner, she did have suspicions of the substance, but was reassured of its safety by Chad White who said he was taking it for his anxiety.
“He said, ‘Mom, it’s this natural organic type that really is helping,’” Garner said.
A year after his death, Chad White’s family hopes the outcome that happened to him won’t befall others.
“There is no miracle drug. It doesn’t exist,” Tiffany White added.
Copyright 2025 WGEM. All rights reserved.
