Carpenter, 39, from wealthy Oregon neighborhood, dies of ‘violent seizures’ after taking opioid-like herbal supplement – while family sues smoke shop that sold it to him for $10 million

A 39-year-old carpenter died in 2021 from severe seizures after taking the herbal substance kratom.

Matthew Torres lived in Beavercreek with his longtime girlfriend Meghan Gates and enjoyed creating handmade decor items that he would share with family and friends.

Mr. Torres was found “foaming at the mouth” by Mrs. Gates in wealthy Clackamas County, Oregon.

She performed CPR on Mr. Torres until Emergency workers arrived, but he was pronounced dead on May 27, 2021, a month before his 40th birthday.

The coroner determined Torres’ cause of death as “toxic effects of mitragynine” – the active ingredient in kratom, an herbal substance increasingly popular for the opioid and stimulant effects it produces.

His mother, Mary Torres, is suing the smoke shop that sold it to him, seeking $10 million in damages.

Matthew Torres, 39, with his mother Mary Torres

The kratom Mr. Torres took with him. The product packaging lists “100 percent pure mitragyna speciosa leaf powder” as an ingredient

He had been using kratom to manage his “pain and muscle ailments,” the lawsuit said, which he believed was not addictive and had fewer side effects than opioids.

Kratom is a tree, also called mitragyna speciosa, that grows in Southeast Asia.

According to a December 2021 World Health Organization report, mitragynine is one of the most important psychoactive components.

It is often eaten by chewing the leaves or consuming the leaves in powder form, and has become increasingly popular as an alternative painkiller.

Mr. Torres used power as a potion.

According to the lawsuit, Mr. Torres used a product called “Real Kratom,” which he purchased from House of Pipes, a chain of smoke shops in the Portland area.

The product packaging lists “100 percent pure mitragyna speciosa leaf powder” as an ingredient.

Mr. Torres worked as a skilled carpenter and lived with his girlfriend in Beavercreek, about a 20-mile drive southeast of Portland.

There are no products containing kratom or its two main chemical components that are legally marketed in the U.S., the FDA said. It is sold in stores and online.

Mr. Torres used kratom for “his pain and muscle ailments,” believing it to be a “non-addictive alternative to pharmaceuticals.”

According to the FDA, kratom is commonly used for the self-treatment of pain, coughing, diarrhea, anxiety and depression, opioid use disorder, and opioid withdrawal symptoms.

An estimated 1.7 million Americans aged 12 and older used kratom in 2021, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

In small doses, kratom can produce stimulant effects, according to the CDC, and in higher doses it can produce effects that mimic opioids.

In Southeast Asia, kratom has been used and accepted as part of daily life for centuries, similar to drinking coffee in the U.S., according to Christopher McCurdy, a professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Florida and an internationally recognized kratom expert, who previously spoke to McClatchy News.

There is not enough scientific data to assess the safety of kratom, the FDA said, and it can lead to liver toxicity, seizures, substance use disorders and even death.

The lawsuit filed in Torres’ death says House of Pipes — and all companies involved with kratom — never said kratom was safe.

But House of Pipes profited from selling “dangerous” kratom products to Mr. Torres and others, according to the complaint.

“I urge kratom consumers to do their homework regarding the product…Kratom sellers don’t tell you that it is addictive and that it can kill you,” said Tamara Williams, a mctlaw attorney, to McClatchy News.

“Do not use it until it is deemed safe and approved for use.”

If House of Pipes had made Mr. Torres aware of the risks of kratom, his death could have been prevented, the complaint said.

“The kratom industry seems to be a lot like a drug cartel. Manufacturers, distributors and sellers of kratom attempt to conceal their ownership and financial activities to avoid liability,” said Michael Cowgill, an MCTlaw attorney representing Mr. Torres’ family.

“Families like the Torres’ have had enough of this deception and deserve justice,” Cowgill added.

The case is one of the latest kratom-related wrongful death lawsuits filed in America.

Last year, mother of four Krystal Talavera collapsed and died after taking kratom in 2021.

Her eldest son, Devin Filippelli, sued Kratom distributor Grow LLC over her death and a judge ruled they must pay more than $11 million in damages.

Mctlaw also represented that case.

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