PRINCE FREDERICK — Calvert County health, law enforcement and prevention officials are urging residents to stay away from kratom after what they describe as a rise in kratom-related overdoses in the county, including one reported death.
The Calvert Alliance Against Substance Abuse (CAASA), the Calvert County Health Department and the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office issued the joint community health alert Oct. 20. The agencies called the overdoses an emerging pattern involving a substance many residents do not realize is dangerous, in part because kratom products are sold in retail stores and online.
The alert did not say how many overdoses have occurred, over what period, or whether toxicology testing has confirmed kratom as the cause of the reported death. The agencies also said several recent crashes in Calvert involved drivers who were intoxicated from kratom, but did not say how many crashes or when they happened.
The warning lands at an unusual moment. Maryland’s overall overdose deaths have fallen four years in a row; the Maryland Department of Health reported 1,315 deaths statewide in 2025, a 26% drop from the year before and the lowest total in a decade. Kratom sits outside the fentanyl-driven crisis that produced most of those deaths, and it has drawn new scrutiny from state and federal regulators this year.
What kratom is
Kratom comes from the leaves of a tree native to Southeast Asia. The agencies describe it as a plant-based substance with both stimulant-like and opioid-like effects, marketed for energy, relaxation, stress relief, pain relief and mood. It is sold as powders, capsules, tablets, gummies, energy drinks and concentrated liquid extracts.
The Calvert agencies said kratom has no known health benefits and does not cure any condition, and that a “natural” or “herbal” label does not make a product safe. They listed seizures, cardiac arrest, addiction and fatal overdose among the risks.
Their sharpest concern is 7-hydroxymitragynine, known as 7-OH, a potent opioid-like compound that occurs in small amounts in the kratom leaf and is sold in concentrated or synthetic form in some products. Concentrated 7-OH products are a different category from plain leaf powder, and they are the main target of new rules at both the state and federal level.
On July 1, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration filed notice of its intent to temporarily place 7-OH above a set concentration, along with three related compounds, in Schedule I, the category for drugs with no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. The DEA said the action does not cover botanical kratom products with naturally occurring 7-OH below the threshold.
What Maryland law allows
Kratom is not banned in Maryland. Retailers may sell compliant kratom products only to adults 21 and older, and products must meet state requirements for content and labeling.
A law that took effect July 1, Senate Bill 820 and its House cross-file, House Bill 1523, gave the state Alcohol, Tobacco and Cannabis Commission (ATCC) power to cite retailers and seize what the law calls “unauthorized consumable products.” According to the Department of Legislative Services’ fiscal and policy note, that includes kratom products whose 7-OH content exceeds the limit set in state health law or 1 milligram per serving, along with all tianeptine and phenibut products. Retailers who sell or advertise those products face misdemeanor fines of up to $5,000, and seized products are presumed to be contraband.
The Calvert alert puts the state limit at 2% 7-OH or 1 milligram per dose. The ATCC’s own “Know the Rules” notice to retailers warned that simply keeping a noncompliant product on a shelf, behind the counter or in a display case counts as offering it for sale. The change was among the hundreds of new state laws that took effect this summer.
The agencies stressed that a product being on store shelves does not mean it is safe or legal. Residents who believe a store is selling noncompliant kratom can contact the ATCC at 443-300-6990 or atcc.info@maryland.gov.
Warning signs and what to do
The agencies asked residents to avoid kratom and concentrated 7-OH products, especially those marketed for pain, energy or relaxation; to never combine kratom with alcohol, prescription medication or other drugs; and to talk with young people and relatives about the risks.
Signs of a kratom overdose include extreme drowsiness, unresponsiveness and slow or labored breathing. Withdrawal can bring restlessness, anxiety and trouble sleeping.
Anyone who suspects an overdose should call 911 right away. Because kratom acts on the body in an opioid-like way, the agencies advised giving naloxone (Narcan) if it is available, while noting it may reverse the effects only temporarily and does not replace emergency care.
The agencies pointed residents to these local resources:
- Calvert Crisis Response, for immediate behavioral health support: 1-877-467-5628
- Calvert County Behavioral Health: 410-535-3079
- Prevention, treatment and recovery resources: Hope4Calvert.org
Questions about the alert can go to Anna Schlueter, public information officer for the Calvert County Health Department; Kristen Leitch, public information program assistant for the Sheriff’s Office; or Kimberly Shoe, president of the CAASA board of directors.
