Micah Knox was 29 years old and nine and a half months sober when his mother’s daily check-in call went unanswered on June 26, 2026. He died from an accidental overdose of mitragynine, the psychoactive ingredient in kratom, after his parents say he bought a concentrated 7-OH product at a gas station. Toxicology showed only mitragynine in his blood, with no fentanyl or other substances, a detail that separates this case from the overdose deaths we usually hear about.
These products are legal for anyone over 21 in many states, including South Carolina, and they’re sold in the same places you buy snacks and gas. The DEA’s toxicology testing detected mitragynine in 51 overdose cases from 2025 through April 2026. A South Carolina bill to regulate mitragynine levels in 7-OH products failed to pass, and there’s been no federal action. Dana and Robert Knox are now pressing state and federal lawmakers, considering a wrongful-death suit against manufacturers, and hoping to get these products off shelves nationwide.
For our Suncoast communities, this story hits close to home. Between spring training crowds, snowbird season, and neighbors in recovery all along the Gulf Coast, knowing what’s actually in the products sold down the street matters. “He wanted to be sober so bad,” Dana Knox said. If you have someone in recovery, keep making that call. Have you seen these products sold near you? Tell us in the comments.
