The supplement known as kratom can be found in products from drinks to pills and powders and brewed tea leaves. While marketed as an energy booster, relaxant and pain reliever, there is growing concern about the safety of it. The supplement has been blamed for addiction, seizures and even deaths.

Washington

Concerns are rising about the safety of kratom, a supplement derived from a Southeast Asian plant and sold in various forms such as drinks, pills, and powders. Marketed as an energy booster and pain reliever, kratom has been linked to addiction, seizures, and, in rare cases, death—particularly when combined with other substances. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently announced plans to crack down on certain kratom compounds, while the FDA has warned consumers about its risks.

Kratom products are widely available with little regulation, leading to lawsuits over misleading marketing and calls for stricter oversight. Some states have banned or regulated kratom, and advocacy groups support measures to keep dangerous products off the market. Manufacturers have begun updating product labels with safety warnings, but experts note that these warnings are often overlooked by consumers.

Growing concern about kratom side effects, risk of addiction

There's growing concern about the safety of a popular supplement known as Kratom. Now, it can be found in many products, from drinks to pills and powders, even brewed tea leaves. It's marketed as an energy booster, relaxant, and even pain reliever, but it's increasingly blamed for addiction, seizures, seizures, and even deaths. Last week, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced plans for a crackdown on one Kratom compound. Lele Luciano went to Texas to look at the Kratom Boom. At this bar in Fort Worth, patrons sip, scroll, and socialize, even in the middle of the day. Wow, this place is buzzing. Husband and wife David and CJ Gibbs are the managers. This is a pretty normal day. Hula! Hula! But when happy hour rolls around, don't expect the traditional pint. Here you go. Thank you. This bar is completely alcohol-free. Instead, they serve drinks made with kava and kratom, plants native to Southeast Asia. We have our botanicals that we brew in-house daily. In recent years, kratom has exploded in popularity, with bars like this one popping up across the country. But kratom has come under scrutiny. While some say it can make you feel at ease, give you an energy boost, and reduce pain, 29-year-old Jasmine Adeyoye says those feelings are what got her hooked. How many were you taking, say, a day? I would say anywhere from 9 to 10, maybe sometimes 11 or 12. Adeyoye says while quitting alcohol, she became addicted to a popular kratom drink called Feel Free Classic, which she heard about on a podcast. You're advertised this alcohol alternative, so you feel like it's something totally safe, but you start to believe that there's something wrong with you when you become addicted to this. Feel Free, like other kratom-based products, are easily available at convenience stores across the country, largely without regulation or oversight. The FDA warned consumers not to use kratom, citing risks including substance use disorder, seizures, and rarely death, mainly when mixed with other substances like alcohol. In 2023, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Botanic Tonics, the maker of Feel Free, alleging the drink was misleadingly advertised as a safe alcohol alternative. Instead, the suit claimed it was highly addictive and marketed to people struggling with sobriety. This is really the Wild West of marketing. Matthew Roshheim researches intoxicating substances. He says kratom products are too accessible and lack proper warnings on their labels. Can you read this label here? So at the very bottom, it says to not consume more than one-third of that bottle within a 24-hour period. But it's sold as a shot. The common misperception that because it's plant-based that it's safe or non-addictive, but for kratom that's absolutely not true. There have been dozens of wrongful death lawsuits across the country. Kratom is banned in six states and the District of Columbia, and at least 18 states have some form of regulation. The American Kratom Association told CBS News that it advocates for kratom regulation that aims to keep dangerous kratom products off the market. This includes labeling requirements and bans kratom sales to minors. I have never depended on something like that in my entire life. Adeoye is warning others on social media. There's a lot of people who are struggling in silence and really need help. This is ruining a lot of people's lives, for sure. At the Kava bar we visited, they say that they don't allow higher-potency kratom extract into their bar. And Botanic Tonics, the makers of Feel Free Classic, has since settled the lawsuit. They told CBS News in a statement that they deeply regret any confusion or harm by their past marketing, or that it may have cost. They say that they now provide comprehensive information about their products, including intake limits and safety warnings. But people rarely read those. Yeah, you're right about that. And the warnings that were on some of those products are a little concerning. It's very small, and I can read from up close. Yeah, wow. Lilia, thank you so much.

The U.S. Department of Justice issued subpoenas in its investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James. CBS News' Jake Rosen reports.

New York

Trump's DOJ subpoenas New York AG Letitia James

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will meet in the coming days, the Kremlin said on Thursday (August 7), as the U.S. president seeks a breakthrough to end the Ukraine war after voicing mounting frustration with his Russian counterpart and threatening him with new sanctions.

Moscow

Ukraine Invasion

Kremlin says Trump, Putin to meet soon; Ukraine seeks role for Europe

U.S. President Donald Trump's rushed deadline for Russia to strike a ceasefire deal or face more sanctions has arrived without much movement from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump deadline for Russia to reach ceasefire arrives

Protesters in Israel are voicing their concerns about a plan approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Security Cabinet to take over Gaza City. CBS News' Debora Patta has more.

Jerusalem

Middle East Conflict

Israel's security cabinet approves plan to take over Gaza City

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel intends to take full military control of Gaza and push a new offensive, despite mounting international criticism over the war’s human toll and growing hunger crisis.

Israel intends to take full control of Gaza, Netanyahu says

U.S. President Donald Trump said that there is a good chance he'll meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin soon over Russia's war with Ukraine.

Trump says 'good chance' he'll meet with Putin soon

U.S. President Donal Trump officially began levying higher import taxes on dozens of countries on Thursday (August 7), just as the economic fallout of his months-long tariff threats was beginning to create visible damage to the U.S. economy.

Global Tariffs

Higher U.S. tariffs officially take effect

The man accused of killing two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, D.C., earlier this year has been charged with federal hate crime charges. CBS News Justice reporter Jake Rosen has more.

Hate crime charges filed in killings of Israeli Embassy staffers

As Sean "Diddy" Combs awaits his sentencing, his lead attorney Marc Agnifilo says he has not talked to anyone at the White House about a possible pardon.

Sean "Diddy" Combs' attorney says he hasn't had talks about a pardon

Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, blamed Hamas when asked about starvation in Gaza, saying, "Hamas has not allowed the food to get to the people who are hungry." Huckabee also addressed questions over the controversial aid sites.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel faces questions over starvation in Gaza

On "T-Day," the US began enforcing Trump's new tariffs, raising average rates from 2% to 15% after a 90-day pause allowed some countries to negotiate reduced deals while others, like India and Brazil, faced hikes. These tariffs have generated over $150 billion in revenue by July, impacting various sectors and aiming to address trade imbalances.

U.S. begins collecting Trump's new global tariffs

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says he plans to call the leaders of China and India, to discuss a joint response to new US tariffs. The announcement came as Brazil and India were hit with 50 percent levies - the highest imposed by President Donald Trump.

State of Rio de Janeiro

Brazil halts U.S. trade talks as Lula condemns new tariffs

U.S. President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, citing New Delhi's continued imports of Russian oil in a move that sharply escalated tensions between the two nations after trade talks reached a deadlock.

Trump imposes extra 25% tariff on India over Russian oil imports

President Trump has been briefed about the shooting at Fort Stewart in Georgia, the White House press secretary says. At least five soldiers were shot before a suspect was apprehended, officials say.

Fort Stewart

Five soldiers shot at Fort Stewart in Georgia; suspect apprehended

A Russian official said President Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, had a "useful and constructive" conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday.

Witkoff, Putin had 'useful and constructive conversation'

The U.S. aims to deploy nuclear power reactors on the Moon and Mars, targeting the first launch by decade’s end. A new NASA directive, revealed by Politico and AFP, calls for appointing a nuclear power czar to choose two commercial proposals within six months, aiming to outpace a Chinese-Russian collaboration.

NASA races to put nuclear reactors on Moon and Mars

Japan held a memorial service and ceremony for victims and the remaining survivors of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima, marking its 80th anniversary and renewing pledges of working towards a world without nuclear weapons.

Hiroshima

Hiroshima marks 80th anniversary since U.S. atomic bombing

The U.S. is warning travelers as cases of chikungunya, a mosquito-borne illness, spreads in China. Health officials in China have ordered mass disinfection measures. The region near Hong Kong reported more than 7,000 cases in recent weeks.

Beijing

U.S. warns travelers as cases of chikungunya increase in China

Japan has commemorated the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing during World War II. Ceremonies at Peace Memorial Park honoured the victims of the 1945 nuclear attack by US forces.

Japan’s Hiroshima marks 80 years since U.S. atomic bombing

Multiple media outlets in Israel have reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants a complete military takeover of Gaza, while almost 600 former Israeli military and security officials are petitioning Washington to stop the fighting.

Netanyahu reportedly wants complete Gaza takeover

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that he had a productive talk with President Trump focused on ending the war with Russia. CBS News national security contributor Samantha Vinograd has more.

Kyiv

Zelenskyy holds 'productive talks' with Trump about war

Family members of two of the victims from the 2023 implosion are demanding tougher regulations following the damning report released on Tuesday. Five people died when the submersible imploded off the coast of Newfoundland.

Deadly Titan submersible disaster was preventable, Coast Guard says

The House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed multiple people over the Jeffrey Epstein files, including former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. CBS News' Jake Rosen has more details.

House committee subpoenas Clintons, others over Epstein files

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents have been directed through a federal court order to stop deportations under President Trump's asylum ban, sources say. CBS News' Camilo Montoya-Galvez has more details.

Court blocks deportations under Trump's asylum ban, sources say

A man suspected of murdering four family members in Tennessee has been captured after a four-day manhunt, authorities said. CBS News' Nicole Valdes has more.

Jackson

Suspect arrested in murders of 4 Tennessee family members

The ruling comes a month after Brazil’s top court ordered the former president to wear an ankle monitor, submit to a curfew and abide by limitations on his activity as legal proceedings investigating an alleged coup plot continue.

Brazil's Supreme Court orders house arrest of Bolsonaro

The US and Lebanon have been holding talks on a roadmap to fully disarm Hezbollah. Lebanon's new leadership has pledged to extend its authority across all its territory but has so far avoided acting against Hezbollah.

Beirut

Lebanon faces renewed pressure to disarm Hezbollah

CBC News had exclusive access to a Canadian Armed Forces plane that dropped about 10,000 kilograms of humanitarian aid into Gaza, the first time Canada joined the airdrop operations. Several countries airdropped food on Monday, but aid organizations agree they are more symbolic than effective.

Breakdown