A Pa. family suing the maker of a Kratom-based supplement that they say their 25-year-old son fatally overdosed on is pressing for a statewide and nationwide ban on the substance some call herbal heroin.

The family of Caleb Sturgis issued a press release this week stating they have garnered support from more 1,500 people from around the country who are joining them in calling on Pennsylvania and federal officials to ban or regulate Kratom.

Currently, Kratom is over-the-counter substance that strident supporters swear by as a natural ‘herbal high’ that relieves pain and lifts depression.

Kratom opponents are equally convinced, calling the substance a totally unregulated killer that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has linked to at least 44 deaths.

One of those deaths was 25-year-old Caleb Sturgis, of West Chester, Pa.

In wake of what the county coroner ruled as Caleb’s ‘fatal Kratom overdose’ last June, the Sturgis family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against California-based SoCal Herbal Remedies.

The lawsuit is currently pending in Philadelphia, where the family’s attorney, Robert Mongeluzzi and his legal team, are seeking unspecified damages against the supplement company.

Although Sturgis died in a one-car accident on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Tredyffrin Township, Chester County, on June 27, 2018, the Chester County Coroner’s Office ruled his death was the result of an OD, stopping his heart, and then the stricken Sturgis lost control of the car.

Specifically, the county medical examiner determined Sturgis’ death was directly caused by Acute Mitragynine Intoxication resulting from a lethal concentration of Kratom (Mitragyna Speciosa).

Now, the family is going after Kratom, itself.

The family’s petition, posted to www.change.org, to control #KillerKratom surpassed the 1,000-signature mark after it launched last week, the press release announced.

It also included this statement from the Sturgis family:

“Our family is grateful for the incredible show of support. We honor Caleb by doing everything we can – including this petition - to stop Kratom from killing other unsuspecting consumers, who like Caleb, thought it was a harmless herbal supplement.”

The petition calls upon officials to ban or regulate Kratom along with other Schedule I controlled substances, such as heroin and LSD.

Details from the press release and lawsuit:

The SoCal Herbal Remedies, LLC’s Kratom package purchased online by Mr. Sturgis contained no health warnings or dosage instructions, other than to keep away from children.

Other Kratom facts:

According to the FDA, Mitragyna speciosa, commonly known as Kratom, is derived from a plant that grows naturally in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.

The FDA says Kratom, which affects the same opioid brain receptors as morphine, appears to expose users to those same opioid risks of addiction, abuse, and dependence.

NOTE: This story was updated to provide more background on the circumstances surrounding Sturgis’ death.