I want to tell you a story about my youngest son, Nick Scribner.
As a small child, Nick loved to get his hands dirty. He dug for insects to examine and sifted through sand at ocean beaches looking for crabs as small as spiders.
He was a little scientist.
Nick read books about planets and studied the night skies. He loved to be in the water and stayed in pools until his fingers puckered. Later in high school, Nick was a lifeguard at a village pool for four years.
He earned a degree in electrical construction in keeping with his fascination with figuring out how things work.
But Nick’s life was marred by chronic insomnia. It haunted him. We tried everything. Nothing helped ease him into the gentle sleep we all take for granted. He was all alone in pre-dawn hours of the morning.
Nick died alone in his bed in 2024 when he was just 27 years-old, after seeking a remedy for his insomnia. He found an herbal product called kratom in a local shop, labeled “All-natural supplement for overall good health.” At that time, it was sold to anyone, regardless of age.
Kratom comes from the leaves of an evergreen tree in Southeast Asia, where indigenous people chewed them, allegedly for energy. However - and this is a huge distinction - they spit out or boiled the leaves, causing heavy dilution. Kratom is shipped to our country, labeled “Fertilizer. Not for Human Consumption.”
It is sold at most convenience stores in powders, seltzers, gummies and more; an entire menu of products right at your fingertips.
There are no warnings on kratom packages. Nowhere did it say that kratom is as addictive as opiates and harder to quit than morphine. That perilous side effects include poisoning, tachycardia, severe liver and kidney damage and psychosis. That some users are put in medical comas just to survive the rehab process.
Nick never knew, nor did his family, that kratom can cause death. That night in November, he choked in his sleep. Catatonic sleep and respiratory arrest are two very common kratom side effects. His brother found him, cold and unresponsive, two weeks before Thanksgiving.
Most nights, I lie awake now. I feel like I am still screaming in the dirty snow that November, in utter shock and disbelief we lost our beloved family member.
Now, kratom is referred to as “gas station heroin.”
Kratom has been linked to several recent tragedies including students and children. It is poison.
Since losing my son, when I was able to climb and scratch my way out of the deepest pit of grief, I have learned a lot about kratom.
More than five million people in the U.S. are taking kratom. With one in eight suffering seizures, let’s hope none of them are our doctors, EMTs, bus drivers or airline pilots.
The Federal Drug Administration has found there are no medical uses for kratom. The Drug Enforcement Agency lists all kratom products as drugs and chemicals of concern. The U.S. population is by far the largest user of kratom.
A 2025 study found that just 20% of Americans know about kratom.
Yet kratom is sold at corner stores and gas stations on counters next to bubble gum and candy.
Despite these facts, people are speaking out saying they use kratom for various aches and pains. To them, I say: please see your doctor for an FDA-approved medication. Don’t self-medicate with potentially lethal drugs sold at convenience stores and gas stations.
Barring federal or state laws banning kratom, local county officials are stepping up right now to pass local laws to ban it.
They need our support, immediately. People can contact their county offices and speak up in strong agreement with laws banning all forms of kratom.
Taking kratom is a game of Russian roulette. That November night, my son lost that game.
No families should ever have to endure the death of a son, a sibling, a grandchild, a nephew, an uncle, a classmate and a friend.
Taking a stand against kratom can save lives like Nick’s before it is too late.
Nick is gone. We miss him. We miss him.
Cari Scribner, a Capital Region journalist, became a lobbyist for New York State laws restricting kratom sales, after the death of her son Nick. In December 2025, the first-ever laws to protect New Yorkers from kratom were signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul. Scribner lives in Ballston Spa, N.Y.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.