A father who refused to stay quiet.
Dean Francis founded End Kratom Addiction after his son Cameron spent nearly eight years addicted to a substance he found online, marketed as a safe herbal supplement.
Cameron was a college athlete. He was not reckless. He was deceived.
When the family finally got answers, in an emergency room in 2021, from a physician who explained plainly that kratom acts like an opioid, they were furious. Not at Cameron. At an industry that had marketed a dangerous product as harmless, and at a regulatory system that had allowed it.
Dean started End Kratom Addiction so that no other family would be blindsided the way his was.
We lead with science. We fight with facts.
End Kratom Addiction is a national public health nonprofit. Our work has three pillars.
Public education
We explain what kratom actually does, how it works in the body, who is getting hurt, and why the "natural supplement" label is misleading.
Legislative advocacy
We equip lawmakers with accurate, science-grounded information before the kratom industry gets to them first. We do not wait for hearings. We reach legislators before industry lobbyists do.
Survivor stories
We document and amplify the experiences of people and families harmed by kratom. These stories are not anecdotes. They are evidence of a pattern.
Leadership
Dean Francis
President and Founder
Dean founded End Kratom Addiction after Cameron's addiction and recovery. He testifies before state legislatures, briefs local officials, and works with medical and legal professionals to advance kratom regulation nationwide.
Hilary Tesluck
Executive Director
Hilary brings firsthand experience with the dangers of kratom to her role leading End Kratom Addiction's day-to-day operations. Her personal history with the crisis gives the organization's advocacy sharp conviction, and her leadership ensures that the people most affected by kratom harm remain at the center of everything we do.
Where we started.
End Kratom Addiction was founded in Virginia, where our early advocacy helped advance legislation requiring kratom products to be sold from behind the counter. That fight taught us how the industry operates, how to counter its tactics, and how to reach legislators before industry lobbyists do.
The problem is not limited to Virginia. We are taking what we learned there to every state where families are being harmed.