INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that, in 2025, more than 73,000 people died of drug overdoses.

While a lot of attention is currently on fentanyl, in the past few years, a new drug called kratom has been slowly causing damage. It’s legal in most of the U.S. It’s banned for purchase in Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Louisiana, Indiana, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

People can buy it online and at smoke shops, gas stations, and health food stores.

It’s a plant that looks harmless, but when condensed, can have the same euphoric power as opioids.

“When it’s getting to the point where it’s a heavy usage, it can go into this euphoria that can be...