A 34-year-old Colorado man collapsed at work near his truck after he consumed a kratom product he had been taking for chronic pain, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by his wife.
A co-worker found Robert Simmons, a “loving” husband and father of four, on the ground after he experienced “seizure like activity” on Sept. 27, 2023, a complaint says. Emergency services took Simmons to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The Weld County coroner determined, based on an autopsy and toxicology reports, that Simmons died from “acute mitragynine (kratom) toxicity,” according to the complaint filed Sept. 26.
Mitragynine is one of the main psychoactive components of kratom, a tree that grows naturally in Southeast Asia. Kratom’s reported uses include self-treatment of pain, opioid withdrawal, anxiety and depression, according to the World Health Organization.
In the days leading up to Simmons’ death, and on the day he died, Simmons was taking kratom products sold under the OPMS brand — OPMS Silver Super Green Borneo kratom powder — that he bought from One Love smoke shop in Greeley, the complaint says.