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*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*

February 9, 2026

www.texasattorneygeneral.gov




*PRESS OFFICE:
*[email protected]





 

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*Attorney General Paxton Sues Kratom Retailers for Deceptively Marketing and Selling Products Containing Nearly Fifty Times the Legal Limit of Potentially Deadly Substance*

 

AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against kratom retailers operating under the name Smokey’s Paradise—with locations in Midlothian, TX—for deceptively marketing and selling kratom products containing up to 96% 7-hydroxymitragynine (“7-OH”). That is nearly fifty times the legal limit allowed under Texas law. This lawsuit is a part of a sweeping initiative by Attorney General Paxton to crack down on the illegal distribution of kratom products containing addictive alkaloids at levels extremely dangerous to Texans.  

 

Kratom is a psychoactive substance derived from the leaves of the Mitragyna speciosa plant that produces opioid-like effects and carries serious risks of addiction, respiratory depression, and overdose, particularly when products are adulterated with concentrated or synthetic alkaloids. To protect consumers from these dangers, the Texas Legislature enacted the Texas Kratom Consumer Health and Safety Protection Act in 2023, establishing strict potency limits and prohibiting synthetic additives. 

 

Attorney General Paxton’s investigation revealed that the defendants sold kratom products containing illegally high concentrations of 7-OH, a potent opioid more than twenty times stronger than morphine, as well as synthetic alkaloids that are expressly prohibited under Texas law. Laboratory testing confirmed that multiple products sold to Texas consumers contained 7-OH levels ranging from 86% to 96% of total alkaloid content, far exceeding the 2% maximum allowed by the Texas Kratom Consumer Health and Safety Protection Act. 

 

“Kratom is addictive and deadly, and I’m suing these companies for knowingly endangering Texans by selling products with nearly 50 times the legal limit of this opioid,” said Attorney General Paxton. “The Legislature enacted clear safeguards to protect consumers from deadly kratom products, and my office will aggressively enforce those laws against anyone who puts Texans’ health at risk with these drugs.” 

 

Attorney General Paxton’s lawsuit seeks to end the sale and distribution of these illegal kratom products in Texas, along with civil penalties, costs, and other relief authorized by law under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and other statutes. 

 

To read the lawsuit, click here [ [link removed] ]. 

   

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