Ole Miss coverage: synthetic products are not natural kratom

Hello,

I'm requesting a correction or clarification in coverage of the deaths of University of Mississippi students Aidan Hamilton and Robert Strang.

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These families deserve compassion, answers, and accurate reporting.

The product identified in reporting on law-enforcement records was Smax Pseudo-DHM, which the American Kratom Association describes as marketed as a high-potency MGM-15 product. It should not be presented to the public as ordinary kratom leaf or traditional kratom tea.

MGM-15 and mitragynine pseudoindoxyl are chemically modified opioid compounds, distinct from natural kratom leaf. The Department of Justice announced their emergency scheduling, along with MGM-16, on August 25, 2026. Their temporary placement in Schedule I became effective August 26.

That is a critical distinction for your audience. Calling these products simply "kratom" obscures the specific product under investigation and associates natural leaf with chemically manufactured substances.

Natural kratom leaf should not be blamed for these deaths without evidence establishing its involvement. Likewise, the presence of any product at a scene does not establish that it caused a death. The reporting I have reviewed states that toxicology findings remain pending and a cause of death has not been publicly established.

Please review your headlines, reporting, captions, and social posts to ensure they:

• Identify Smax Pseudo-DHM by name.
• Distinguish synthetic or chemically modified opioid products from natural kratom leaf.
• Clearly separate confirmed findings from suspected causes.

I have consumed natural kratom leaf as tea since 2015. After being hit by a car at eight years old, I spent years dealing with injuries, surgeries, and prescription opioid use. My experience with the leaf is deeply personal.

I also lost my son, Ryan, to an overdose involving fentanyl and xylazine in 2023. I know the devastation of losing a child. Accurate warnings matter to me because families need to know what substances and products are actually involved.

For transparency, my family operates Christopher's Organic Botanicals, a small South Jersey business founded in 2016 that focuses on natural kratom leaf, education, and testing. We do not sell MGM-15, MGM-16, mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, or products marketed as 7-OH.

Please contact me if you want information about natural kratom or would like to hear from someone who has consumed plain leaf tea for eleven years. I am available for an interview and can help connect you with additional educational resources.

Sources for your review:

DOJ emergency scheduling announcement

AKA statement identifying Smax Pseudo-DHM as marketed as an MGM-15 product

AKA press conference

Thank you,

Christopher Deaney
Christopher's Organic Botanicals
South Jersey
Email: christopher@christophersorganicbotanicals.com