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The latest news related to the tragic case of Tupper Lake police Sgt. Matthew Dana shines a bit more light on how the coroner ruled that Sgt. Dana died from a kratom overdose. The coroner's report claimed that Sgt. Dana's hemorrhagic pulmonary edema (blood in the lungs) was a result of a kratom overdose. Considering the fact that no deaths to date have occurred, either in persons using recreationally or therapeutically or in laboratory animals who were specifically being tested on the potential respiratory depression made this an unlikely scenario for many consumers of the Southeast Asian plant, a relative of coffee, that has for hundreds of years been used as a folk medicine in Indonesia, Malaysia and other areas in the region.

The DEA attempted an extra-judicial ban of kratom last year, at about this same time in fact. After a massive outpouring of support not only from the kratom community but from members of congress, medical professionals, addiction specialists, pharmacologists and ethnobotanists kratom made history as the first substance to beat an attempted "emergency scheduling" by the Drug Enforcement Agency.

The coroner, Shawn Stuart, along with local medical examiner Dr. C. Francis Varga used information from the Journal of Analytical Toxicology and the Journal of Forensic Sciences during their investigation. A supposed "possible kratom toxicity" case (a former heroin addict who was also found with large amounts of cold medicine and benzodiazepines in his system) factored in as the partial reason for kratom being implicated.

Many kratom consumers spoke out against the coroner and his medical report. Considering the history of propaganda about kratom being spread by wildfire their behavior was understandable if not justified. Claims he had been "bought off" were immediately dismissed by <a href="http://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/news/local-news/2017/09/kratom-debate-reaches-new-level/">Stuart who says the full report will be made public</a> when it is complete. One issue taken by some following the case is the fact that he seems to be implying causation via correlation.

<a href="http://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/news/local-news/2017/09/coroner-reveals-details-behind-kratom-overdose-report/">As the Adirondack Daily Enterprise reports</a>, "Coroners are elected by county voters. They are not required to be medical professionals, but they use medical and police resources, including medical examiners, to inform reports."

The question of how an overdose would cause Sgt. Dana's lungs to fill with blood has not yet been addressed. State police say they will use Stuart's report to further investigate <a href="http://www.thegoldwater.com/news/8003-Could-Tragic-Death-Attributed-to-Kratom-Have-Other-Causes">Sgt. Dana's death.</a> I personally find it a shame that many following the story may consider this case to be far from what it is.

Sgt. Dana is described by many news outlets as using a "legal, but controversial drug." Language like that in the era following the "Bath Salts" research chemical scare seems to imply this officer was using some sort of "legal high." In actuality, Sgt. Dana was using a beneficial plant medicine that is used by thousands daily to alleviate anxiety, PTSD, depression, fibromyalgia, neuropathy, chronic pain, withdrawal and addiction and a host of other conditions. <a href="http://topshelfkratom.com/the-current-state-of-kratom-research/">Recent research shows</a> that the persons living with the previous conditions or even tumors and cancer may benefit from the use of kratom leaf.