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Misha Brown had stepped into a local Circle K gas station in Austin, Texas. He said the teenager approached him and asked him to “take care” buy it. When Brown said no, he said he believed the boy tried to grab his wallet.
Brown, 37, told the story last month on Tiktok, which has been viewers of over 23 million times.
When he went to the store and told the attendant about his teenage years, she pointed out that he felt good. Herb drinks sold in small, blue shot-sized bottles that claim to provide “relaxation, productivity, focus” – and people said they come six times a day to buy the product. “It’s so addictive and people lose their hearts,” he recalls what the attendant said.
Although Brown had never heard freely, the video caused a wave of comments about the product. Young people were describing “these catastrophic experiences with these products,” he told NBC News.
Free was launched in 2020 by Botanic Tonics. LeaflyClassic is touted for its relaxing effects, Kava Root, and Kratom, a native plant from Southeast Asia known for its stimulating and opioid-like effects.
It’s Kratom, which is involved with experts and health authorities. The Food and Drug Administration declared Kratom an opioid in 2018 and took steps to crack down on related products. Kratom is not federally regulated by the government, but is banned by five states (Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Rhode Island and Wisconsin), according to a report by Congressional Research Services.
“I say, ‘I have concerns about me,” says Dr. Robert Levy, an addiction medicine expert at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine and associate professor of family medicine and community health. “I saw it [kratom addiction] And I treated that many times,” Levi said.
John of Columbia, South Carolina, is freely sharing the video with Tiktok. The 35-year-old, previously suffering from heroin and female addiction, was calm for eight years when he learned about drinks. At the time, John, who asked him to withhold his last name for privacy, said “everything started to get worse” in his life, including losing his job at Aldi. After free to try and try from a sales representative at a local herb store in early 2024, he said he was hooked.
“I tried it and I really liked it,” John said. “It made me feel warm. …It gave me a good energy and I loved it.”
Within eight months, John said he was drinking most of the classic bottles free in a day. To promote his addiction, he began delivering for Doordash, emptied all $8,000 out of the 401(k) and sold the PlayStation 5, gaming laptop, “Everything I had.” When his money ran out, he resorted to stealing. He estimates that he spent about $30,000 in total.
“I was doing whatever I could,” John said. “It turned me into someone I wasn’t.”
John and Brown are not just free to raise awareness. On Reddit, the group dedicated to quitting Feel Free has over 5,000 followers.
“When I tell you, trust me, you need to get away as quickly as possible from now on,” a Reddit user posted.
The plant-based tonic, the maker of Feel Free, has been unable to warn consumers about the risks of Kratom and agreed to pay $8.75 million to settle the 2023 class action lawsuit because it promoted its product as a safe alternative to alcohol. The company has not admitted fraud, but it should change its label to include information that the product could form a habit, and anyone with a history of substance abuse should consider not to consume it.
The plant-based tonic said in a statement to NBC News that “false and misleading claims have been made on social media and perpetuated in news outlets.”
“The plant-based tonics are free to sell services of over 129.7 million people. They have received adverse events complaints for less than 1,000 consumers in all categories, with zero complaints involving serious addiction.
What is Kratom?
Kratom, also known as Mitragyna Speciosa, has been cultivated in Southeast Asia for centuries, said Oliver Grundmann, a clinical professor at the University of Florida Pharmacy University. Grundmann said the market for Kratom products was “a lot smaller” for the first time in 2016. He quickly discovered an increase in demand. This is due to Kratom’s stimulants, pain relief and perhaps sedative effects.
The FDA states that Kratom is “not suitable for use as a dietary supplement,” and that “there is insufficient information to provide reasonable assurance that such ingredients do not pose a serious or unreasonable risk of illness or injury.” It is often used in self-treatment conditions such as anxiety, depression, pain, opioid use disorder and opioid withdrawal, the agency says.
Continued use of Kratom is related to gastrointestinal problems such as nausea, vomiting, constipation and diarrhea, experts say. Also, heavy loads can lead to increased heart rate and sweating, Gundoman said. The Drug Enforcement Bureau says Kratom users are experiencing weight loss, insomnia, seizures and hallucinations. Chronic use is also associated with liver damage, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Gastrointestinal Diseases and Kidney Diseases.
Last month, the FDA recommended that the Department of Justice classify 7-OH, one of the two main compounds found in Kratom, as an illegal substance due to its efficacy. This is a move to restrict or prohibit access to 7-OH products. 7-OH occurs naturally in Kratom, but is usually in a high concentration standalone format, and synthetic versions of the compounds are also available. The FDA focused on these synthesis, high concentrations of 7-OH, rather than plant-based kratoms. The plant-based tonic mentioned in the statement stated that it contains plant-based Kratom, not synthetic 7-OH.
FDA Commissioner Marty McCurry said 7-OH should be classified as a Schedule I substance along with drugs such as heroin, ecstasy and marijuana.
In 2016, the Drug Enforcement Bureau said it planned to classify Kratom compounds, including 7-OH, as Schedule I drugs. After a major push from Kratom Advocates, those efforts were removed.
Levy, an addiction medicine expert, said that compared to Kratom, 7-OH is a “more powerful opioid” and that the product sold as “7-OH” is almost entirely artificial.
Mark Suger, an associate professor at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, said that Kratom tends to be less addictive when taken at low doses, but people need to take more to develop tolerance and feel the same effect. If people stop taking Kratom, some may experience withdrawal.
Is it free and safe?
Come in a 2-ounce bottle, half of that. People have said on the label that you shouldn’t drink more than two ounces within 24 hours. The label also warns that the product can form a habit, and recommends that anyone with a history of substance abuse should not consume the product.
The brains of recovering addicts may be cured, but they will not return to full normalcy, Levy compared it to those in remission from cancer. Feel free to drink a little stimulation that can cause addiction and come back.
“You’re playing with the fire,” Levi said. “As an addiction medicine doctor, I would never suggest anyone consume it.” [Feel Free] It is recovering. (He also added that he generally does not recommend it to anyone because it is not regulated.)
“We are concerned about products that are liable for addiction liability, which are classified as causing serious adverse events,” said Mac Haddow, a senior public policy fellow at the American Kratom Association.
“We strongly support very strict regulations regarding Kratom products,” he added. “We are aware of reports that people in the Kratom field are reporting addictions when people in a moody space.”
Utah has banned the sale of Feel Free products. “State law prohibits the sale of Kratom products mixed with other ingredients. This is a way to change the quality or strength of the product, as long as it can be harmful to the consumer.”
After multiple attempts to quit freely, John began sharing videos of his intense withdrawal symptoms in Tiktok. These included intense body trembling, sweating, difficulty breathing, and foaming foam from the mouth, he said. In February, John’s withdrawal was so bad that he was hospitalized. He said the only other drug in his system is marijuana. According to a memo from recognized hospital staff reviewed by NBC News, he was placed on a ventilator and later developed pneumonia.
“They thought I was going to die,” John said.
“I just want to help people and make a difference,” John said.
Brown, who posted Tiktok talking about his experience at a gas station, said he was a former drinker.
“Addicts affect a lot of people,” he said. “if [Feel Free] It is something that is very easy to achieve and is sold as an alcohol-free alternative or energy drink. I think that’s quite dangerous. ”
If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol, drugs, or other substance abuse issues, call the Department of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services free confidential helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (1-800-662-4357), or visit find treatment.gov.
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