Dana and John Pope had never heard of kratom before their 23-year-old son, Ethan, was found dead on the kitchen floor in his apartment last December with his puppy by his side. Extracted from the leaves of a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia, kratom is used to make capsules, powders and liquids and is marketed as an aid for pain, anxiety and drug dependence. In Georgia and some other states, it's often sold at gas stations and smoke shops. A Georgia Bureau of Investigation autopsy found Ethan Pope died from mitragynine intoxication and had no alcohol or illegal drugs in his system. Mitragynine is a psychoactive compound in kratom, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Dana and John Pope have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against about a dozen people, companies and organizations connected to the manufacturing, marketing and sale of kratom. They don't know how long their son had been using kratom, but he must have been experiencing adverse effects, Dana Pope said at a