Herbal supplements containing illegal opioid chemicals are still being sold at smoke shops and gas stations across Utah, including in the Sandy area, and state officials say four people have died.

The Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the Utah Poison Control Center and the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) issued a joint urgent warning Monday, Oct. 5. They urged residents not to buy or use any products labeled "cat's claw," marked "adults only/21+," or marketed as legal while promising a psychoactive high.

Officials said anyone who encounters these products at a local retailer should report them by emailing [email protected]. The Utah Poison Control Center is available around the clock at 1-800-222-1222. Calls are free and confidential.

The products, often sold under the brand name "Buzzers," are labeled as containing cat's claw or its scientific name, Uncaria tomentosa. Natural cat's claw is not harmful, according to health officials. But UDAF lab testing found these specific products contain two semi-synthetic kratom chemicals: mitragynine pseudoindoxyl (MGPI) and dihydro-7-hydroxymitragynine (MGM-15).

Both chemicals act as powerful opioids much stronger than morphine, according to DHHS. They carry severe risks of addiction, overdose and death.

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) classified MGPI, MGM-15 and related compounds as Schedule I controlled substances in August.

The products are illegal under Utah law. During the 2026 legislative session, lawmakers banned all kratom products other than pure natural leaf. Yet officials said the tainted supplements remain available in some retail stores and online, as ABC4 reported.

UDAF spokesman Leon Page told the Deseret News in July, when the agency issued a narrower warning about the same product line, that the mislabeled tablets were "only discovered because of the incident and poison control submitted the samples to us."

That earlier warning was tied to one death and several severe health incidents. Monday's alert is broader, covering four deaths statewide.

State Sen. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, told Fox 13 in August that he had opened a bill file to ban pure-leaf kratom entirely. The state faces a lawsuit over its near-total kratom ban. As of August, that litigation was on hold while lawyers for the state and kratom manufacturer Botanic Tonics discussed a settlement.

Officials said the overdose-reversal medication naloxone, sold as Narcan, is effective against overdoses from these products because the chemicals act on opioid receptors. Standard opioid-dependence treatments also work for people addicted to these substances, according to DHHS.