ROCK SPRING, GA (WDEF) – Following recent reports of kratom-related hospitalizations in Walker County, health experts are warning parents about the dangers this unregulated substance poses to adolescents.

Kratom is a tropical plant native to Southeast Asia. Its leaves contain compounds that can act as both a stimulant and a sedative, depending on the dose.

While it’s not federally scheduled under the Controlled Substances Act, the Drug Enforcement Administration lists kratom as a Drug and Chemical of Concern, and the FDA warns it is not approved for any medical use.

Joel Miller, MAT Nurse Coordinator for CADAS, tells News 12 that adolescents are especially at risk.

“I think adolescents are probably more impulsive. They don’t have the knowledge of how much they’re taking and what they’r

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