Carpenter, 39, from wealthy Oregon neighborhood dies from 'violent seizures' ... trends now
A 39-year-old carpenter died from severe seizures after taking the herbal substance kratom in 2021.
Matthew Torres was living in Beavercreek with his longtime girlfriend Meghan Gates and enjoyed creating hand-crafted decor items he would share with family and friends.
Mr Torres was found 'foaming at the mouth' by Ms Gates in the wealthy Clackamas County in Oregon.
She performed CPR on Mr Torres until emergency responders arrived, but he was declared dead on May 27, 2021, one month before his 40th birthday.
The coroner determined Torres' cause of death as 'toxic effects of mitragynine' - the active compound in kratom, a herbal substance that is rising in popularity for the opioid and stimulant-like effects it produces.
His mother, Mary Torres, sued the smoke shop that sold it to him and is seeking $10million in damages.
Matthew Torres, 39, with his mother Mary Torres
The kratom Mr Torres was taking. The product's packet shows '100 percent pure mitragyna speciosa leaf powder' as the ingredient
He had been using kratom to manage his 'his pain and muscular ailments', the lawsuit said, which he thought it was not addictive and had less side effects than opioids.
Kratom is a tree, also called mitragyna speciosa, which grows in Southeast Asia.
Mitragynine is one of its main psychoactive components, according to a December 2021 World Health Organization report.
It is often eaten by chewing its leaves or consuming the leaves in powdered form, and has been rising in popularity as an alternative pain-relieving substance.
Mr Torres was consuming the power as a drink.
According to the lawsuit, Mr Torres had been using a product called 'Real Kratom' which he bought from House of Pipes, a chain of smoke shops in the Portland area.
The product's packet shows '100 percent pure mitragyna speciosa leaf powder' as the ingredient.
Mr Torres worked as a skilled carpenter and was living with his girlfriend in Beavercreek, roughly a 20-mile drive southeast of Portland.
There are no products containing kratom or its two
