Following the premiere of the new documentary Kratom: Side Effects May Include, Mountainside Treatment Center is recognizing the film as a defining cultural moment in the growing national conversation around kratom’s risks — a public health issue the organization’s clinicians have been confronting for years.

The documentary investigates the lethal consequences and regulatory gaps surrounding kratom, a plant-based extract widely sold in retail settings including gas stations and smoke shops. For Mountainside clinicians, the film reflects patterns long observed in treatment settings, where individuals and families have been impacted by kratom use, misuse and dangerous drug interactions, including fatal outcomes.

“As filmmakers, we were instantly drawn to this material because it was insane to us that you could buy something in a gas station next to Skittles that could kill you,” said directors Jamie and Jason Neese. “Kratom is the next installment of controversial supplements that one day we will wonder how it ever slipped through government regulation.”

Long before kratom entered the broader cultural conversation, Mountainside clinicians were treating patients affected by its use and its often misunderstood risks, including cases involving dependency, withdrawal, and dangerous interactions with other substances.

The film centers in part on Patti Wheeler, whose son Wyatt died as a result of kratom-related complications, offering a deeply human perspective on a crisis that often unfolds quietly and without warning.

Wheeler recently joined Jana Wu, Director of Clinical Integration at Mountainside, on the center’s podcast, Sober Spill, for a candid conversation about Wyatt’s story, the motivations behind the film, and the growing urgency surrounding kratom awareness.

Mountainside’s work extends beyond treatment. The organization founded one of the first clinician-led national kratom support groups and continues to bridge clinical expertise with public education and advocacy.

“This moment represents a convergence,” said Wu. “When clinical insight, lived experience and cultural storytelling align, real change becomes possible.”

As conversations around kratom gain momentum, Mountainside remains committed to leading with evidence-based care, transparency and compassion.

About Mountainside

Mountainside is nationally recognized as one of the first treatment centers to earn ASAM 3.7, Joint Commission, and CARF accreditations, affirming its leadership in substance use disorder and drug and alcohol treatment.

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"It was insane to us that you could buy something in a gas station next to Skittles that could kill you." —Jamie and Jason Neese, Directors of "Kratom: Side Effects May Include"