Kratom is taking lives Editor’s note: If you or someone you know is struggling with kratom use or addiction, contact Tri-County Mental Health Services at 816-468-0400 or visit 988lifeline.org. Additional local resources include Compass Health Network and Burrell Behavioral Health, which provide confidential counseling and recovery support across Missouri. Some stories hurt to write. This one has left me shattered. My best friend’s brother, a man I’ve known since the day he was born, is gone. At just 54, he took his own life. The news crashed over us like a freight train, leaving behind a sorrow so heavy it’s hard to hold. It doesn’t seem possible that someone so full of kindness, laughter and quiet strength could simply slip away. Now, in the silence he’s left behind, we’re all haunted by the same aching question: How did this happen? The truth is, he didn’t die from some illegal street drug. He died after becoming hooked on something he bought legally at a smoke shop, a so…