OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma lawmakers are weighing new limits on kratom, an over-the-counter product, after families and state officials raised concerns about safety and deaths they say may be linked to its use. The debate surfaced during an interim legislative study. Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kacey Cliburn said his office had not previously seen an uncontrolled commercial product sold over the counter displace a drug among the top five substances listed in causes of death. Angela Goins began researching kratom after her brother died in May. She said she wants to inform people about the products and prevent other families from experiencing a similar loss. State officials and advocates differ on how far regulation should go. Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics Director Donnie Anderson urged lawmakers to consider specifically scheduling the compounds he considers dangerous rather than prohibiting the kratom plant as a whole. Former state Rep. Doug Cox argued for a full ban, saying that outlawing all forms of kratom would best protect Oklahomans and their families. State Rep. Ellen Pogemiller, who published the interim study, said she had heard from families affected by addiction, including a mother whose daughter had been through rehabilitation twice. Pogemiller said she worries products are being sold without warnings in a way that can leave consumers with the impression they are safe because they are marketed as natural. Pogemiller said four Republican lawmakers asked to take part in the study soon after it was published, which she viewed as a sign of bipartisan interest. She expects lawmakers to consider changes during the next legislative session, though the specific policy and whether kratom will remain available in Oklahoma are unsettled. The discussion puts consumer warnings and access to an over-the-counter product at the center of a policy choice: target compounds officials consider especially dangerous, or bar all kratom products. No new restriction was announced in the interim study account.