RANKIN COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – Rankin County authorities said a toxicology report showed that a chemical in Kratom was in a driver’s system when a fatal crash happened earlier this year.

The crash happened around 7:30 a.m. on January 19, 2024 on Barnett Bend Circle and Old Fannin Road. After arriving on scene, first responders attempted multiple lifesaving measures, but the driver died on scene.

As part of the investigation by the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office and the Rankin County Coroner’s Office, Sheriff Bryan Bailey said a specimen of the driver’s blood was submitted for toxicological analysis.

Bailey said investigators discovered that at the time of his death, the driver appeared to have been under the influence of a significant amount of Mitragynine which is the prevalent chemical in Kratom.

Kratom is derived from a tree that’s native to Southeast Asia. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency says the leaves can be crushed and then smoked, put into capsules or taken with water or other liquids. The drug has been used to relieve muscle strains and as a substitute for opium; it has also been used to manage withdrawal symptoms from opioids.

The Rankin County Board of Supervisors banned the use, purchase, possession, distribution, sale or offering for sale of synthetic cocaine, other synthetic products, or Kratom in the county.

Anyone with information on Kratom products being sold in the county can contact the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office at 601-825-1480.