Botanic Tonics class action lawsuit overview:
- Who: Plaintiff Romulo Torres filed a class action lawsuit against Botanic Tonics LLC and 7-Eleven Inc.
- Why: Botanic Tonics allegedly misrepresents its Feel Free Wellness Tonic as non-addictive, failing to disclose that one of its ingredients is potentially highly addictive.
- Where: The Botanic Tonics class action lawsuit was filed in California federal court.
Botanic Tonics advertises its “Feel Free Wellness Tonic” as a safe and healthy alternative to alcohol, but fails to disclose that one of its ingredients is potentially highly addictive, a class action lawsuit alleges.
Plaintiff Romulo Torres says he chose to purchase Botanic Tonics Feel Free based on representations that the tonic is a kava drink and that the beverage is no more habit forming than sugar or caffeine.
However, Torres says the primary ingredient in Botanic Tonics Feel Free is kratom, not kava.
“Kratom is an opioid that carries similar risks of addiction as controlled narcotics,” according to the Botanic Tonics class action lawsuit.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Drug Enforcement Administration have both reportedly warned that kratom can lead to addiction and can pose adverse side effects.
The Botanic Tonics class action notes that kratom is associated with a number of side effects, ranging from nausea, sweating, and constipation to more severe side effects such as high blood pressure, liver failure, hallucinations, psychosis, cardiac arrest, and coma.
“Unbeknownst to consumers, Botanic Tonics not only added kratom in large amounts, but also manipulated the formula of Feel Free to magnify the effects of kratom and induce a quicker, longer-lasting, and greater high,” the Botanic Tonics class action lawsuit states.
Botanic Tonics allegedly failed to disclose the amount or concentration of kratom in the Feel Free tonics, potentially putting consumers at risk of significant side effects.
Plaintiff says he developed Botanic Tonics Feel Free addiction and relapsed to cope with withdrawal symptoms
Torres says he has suffered from alcoholism and is now sober. In 2020, he says he began seeing targeted Botanic Tonics Feel Free advertisements on social media, advertising the product as a safe and healthy alternative to alcohol.
He purchased Botanic Tonics Feel Free from a 7-11 store and allegedly developed a strong addiction to the product within three months. He was allegedly spending about $3,000 per month on the product and experienced withdrawal when he tried to stop using the tonic. He says he relapsed to cope with the worsening withdrawal symptoms.
“Feel Free has caused [Torres] to lose his job, had severe impacts on his family life, and has undermined his decades of work in recovery,” the Botanic Tonics class action lawsuit asserts.
Torres filed the Botanic Tonics class action lawsuit on behalf of himself and a proposed class of others who purchased Botanic Tonics Feel Free in California since March 28, 2019.
Last fall, a federal judge dismissed some claims from a class action lawsuit against 7-Eleven that claimed the company falsely advertised some of its products as recyclable.
Have you purchased Botanic Tonics Feel Free products? Tell us about your experience in the comments!
Torres is represented by Robert S. Arns, Jonathan E. Davis, Shounak S. Dharap, and Katherine A. Rabago of Arns Davis Law and Anthony L. Label, Theo Emison, Steven A. Kronenberg, and Jacqueline K. Oh. of The Veen Firm PC.
The Botanic Tonics Feel Free class action lawsuit is Romulo Torres v. Botanic Tonics LLC, et al., Case No. 3:23-cv-01460, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
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143 thoughts onBotanic Tonics class action claims Feel Free drink falsely advertised as non-addictive
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Greetings,
I’m shocked at how quickly I became physically dependent on these supposed botanical tonics called feel free, which were marketed as a safe and healthy alternative to alcohol etc.
I have a highly functioning life, full-time job, business ventures and responsibilities that must be attended to every day. I now wake up in the middle of the night with every joint in my body aching and unable to sleep.
I feel trapped…. Instead of feeling free I feel absolutely enslaved. In order for me to get up and function I must start my day off with these little blue bottles of enslavement now. I’m in the process of discussing inpatient treatment with several rehab who also specialize in kratom dependence/addiction.
I’m in a position with my employee owner company which thankfully carries decent insurance through Blue shield and qualifies for FMLA leave.
My issue is in my position here I’m the only one who understands my responsibilities and how to operate the building in all the processes that I am responsible for. Figuring out how to take extended leave is going to be a hurdle that must be overcome first.
I’ve read multiple horror stories of how these feel free drinks have been destroying people’s lives. I hear the stories from the people at the gas stations where they sell these and hear the same stories over and over again about how quickly they watch people become addicted surprisingly short period of time.
This company if they really cared about more than money, which I’m sure they’re getting rich when these botttles are selling for $10 a piece and once someone has a dependence, they are purchasing anywhere from 4-6 a day on the low side. The people running the registers and telling the stories of people coming in and buying six to 20 at a time some buying full boxes.
These wellness botanic tonics feel free products are far from what they were marketed as.
So grateful for everyone’s comments, so helpful. This product is awful and needs to be taken off the shelves!!! I’m watching my loved one suffer the consequences of this awful product! Terrified!