ATLANTA — As Georgia lawmakers consider potential new regulations for kratom, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr says he believes action is needed now.

Last week, Carr said current Georgia laws aimed at addressing kratom were not working effectively.

Now, Carr is calling on convenience stores to remove the product from their shelves immediately instead of waiting for a new law.

“It shouldn’t take legislation or law enforcement to do the right thing,” Carr said. “Every minute these products remain on our shelves, innocent lives are put at risk. This problem could be solved today if all of our convenience stores step up, remove this poison from their shelves, and put safety first.”

According to officials, “the Georgia Poison Center has handled roughly 543 kratom exposure cases since 2021, which includes a 66 percent increase in cases between 2022 and 2025, with the vast majority requiring treatment at a healthcare facility.”

In 2025, Carr warned Georgians about the dangers of kratom, a drug that is often sold at gas stations, and other products containing 7-OH. He also recently authored an op-ed outlining his legislative proposal.

Last month, two University of Mississippi students, one of which was from Georgia, were found dead in separate incidents in Oxford.

Officials are also continuing to investigate the recent deaths of a pair of Ole Miss students, including one from metro Atlanta.

One of the two victims who died at Ole Miss was identified as 20-year-old Robert Strang. The other victim was identified as 18-year-old Aidan Hamilton, a freshman from Englewood, CO.