TOLEDO, Ohio — Toledo city leaders are taking steps to ban the sale of kratom within city limits, as concerns over its safety continue to grow .

City council member Sam Melden says he first became aware of the drug earlier this year after receiving emails from residents, including one person struggling with addiction and another who said their son died after using it.

"One instance is enough for me to start digging in and doing a little research and trying to understand more, and so I started looking into it," Melden said.

Kratom is derived from the leaves of a tropical tree native to southeast Asia, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Its effects vary depending on the dosage.

“If there's a little amount used, it seems to be like a euphoric type and almost like an amp

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