Dan Bregger was a son, brother, and best friend, and when he started taking kratom as a “natural” and “safe” way to tackle his anxiety, I never imagined it would be the thing to take his life.
We lost Dan on August 29, 2021, to the toxic effects of mitragynine, commonly known as kratom, and diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl and various over-the-counter sleep aids.
So much could’ve prevented Dan’s death and protected our family from a tragedy that we continue to live every day. He ingested an incredibly concentrated, potent product that contained an exponential number of kratom alkaloids. It featured no warning labels, no serving sizes, and no dosing instructions that warned against toxic interactions with other drugs — or otherwise allowed for its safe use.
Dan died in Colorado, a global leader in robust, straightforward, and consumer-centric regulations on everything from craft beer to cannabis to psilocybin. Surprisingly, this thoughtful approach has never extended to kratom — where high potency products are found in vape shops, convenience stores, and gas stations, most often in packaging that extolls kratom’s purported health benefits with no reference to any potential dangers.
To save lives, it is time to extend the common-sense, “Colorado model” to kratom. Last week, Colorado Senators Kyle Mullica, D-Thornton, and Byron Pelton, R-Sterling, introduced Senate Bill 72 to modernize kratom regulations in Colorado. The measure sets out simple but effective guardrails to keep Coloradans safe by establishing a kratom product registry, setting labeling requirements and quality standards, and prohibiting marketing to children. These are many of the same modernizations called for by state regulators in their expert report on the Colorado approach to kratom.
Importantly, SB 72 closes a fatal loophole in the kratom industry that allows for highly adulterated products containing a potent, synthesized kratom alkaloid called 7-hydroxymitragynine known as “7.” Products with “7” masquerade as dietary supplements, calling out to unwitting consumers in flashy packaging at smoke shops across Colorado.
SB 72 is tailored to prohibit the manufacture and distribution of “7” in Colorado by creating a regulated marketplace for legitimate kratom products. As Coloradans, you know from experience that sensible, collaboration-driven regulations are more effective at protecting public health and safety than blanket bans. They will preserve access for the thousands of Coloradans who legitimately benefit from the use of kratom while ensuring bad actors and slipshod operators cannot manipulate consumers. That’s the Colorado way.
We hope you’ll join my family, Senator Mullica, and Senator Pelton to support SB 72 in memory of Dan Bregger and on behalf of countless others who deserve safe, reliable access to relief from anxiety, pain, and other conditions. Colorado can, and must, continue to be a national leader in looking out for people like you — and Dan.
David Bregger is a national activist for kratom regulations.
Sign up for Sound Off to get a weekly roundup of our columns, editorials and more.
To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.