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From Herbal Sleep Aid to Fatal Overdose: One Family's Kratom Story

Episode 68: From Herbal Sleep Aid to Fatal Overdose: One Family's Kratom Story

A Red Hook aunt and a Daily Catch reporter explain kratom, 7-OH, and the push for bans as Dutchess County moves toward a vote

Show notes

Susan Rohrmeier lost her nephew Nick Scribner to a kratom overdose in November 2024. She joins The Catch-Up alongside Daily Catch reporter Athan Yanos to explain what kratom is, how it differs from the more potent synthetic compound 7-OH, and how Nick's death helped drive new state labeling and age-restriction laws. Yanos walks through where things stand locally and at the county level: Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino's proposed countywide kratom ban, a competing bill targeting only 7-OH, and unresolved questions about whether the Village of Red Hook can regulate the substance on its own. Both a county legislative committee hearing and a Red Hook village board discussion are set for the coming days.

Produced by Emily Sachar, Walter Mullin, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud at the Radio Free Rhinecilff studio

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