Dean Francis says kratom nearly killed his son. Now he's on a mission to get it banned.

Yeah, so kratom is actually a leaf that comes from Southeast Asia.

And it began when it began being marketed here in the United States.

It started as a powder.

And so it's marketed as very natural, safe, kind of a wellness supplement that could generate focus and energy.

So the idea would be you would buy some kratom powder.

shake it up in your water bottle and drink it, and you'll have more focus, energy, kind of a mood boost.

It's also marketed a lot for chronic pain, anxiety, and help you get off of another addiction that you have.

It's always an alternative.

It's like a natural alternative to all of these other drug-like things.

And so that's its basic form.

So if you imagine a leaf of a tree, someone in Southeast Asia might pick it off and chew on it a little bit.

It's a hot day.

You're a field laborer.

Maybe give you a little extra energy.

You could brew it.

That's kind of where it's coming from.

Right.

That's like the foundational point.

But we know also that this is something that interacts with your opioid receptors and gives you at least some kind of euphoric feeling if taken enough, right? If you take enough.

Yeah.

And let me just first add to where it's coming from.

So there are five nations that actually export it.

It's outlawed in four.

Hmm.

And it's because of what you're beginning to ask right now.