There’s a compound making its way through Kansas convenience stores. It’s sold in tiny bottles with vague names and wellness claims. If you spoke the name of this compound out loud most people wouldn’t recognize it. Even fewer understand what it actually does. It goes by a technical-sounding name: 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH for short.
It is not a street drug. It’s not a scheduled narcotic. But it behaves like one in the human brain. And it’s completely unregulated.
The story of 7-OH isn’t about morals or politics. It’s about how a powerful, opioid-like compound has quietly slipped under the radar, gaining traction in small towns and urban centers alike without oversight, quality control, or clear labeling. And that silence has consequences.
7-OH Is a Potent Psychoactive Drug
7-hydroxymitragynine is one of the primary active alkaloids found in the kratom plant. In its natural form, kratom leaves contain only a small amount of it, less than one percent of the total alkaloid content. But when processed, extracted, and concentrated, as most popular modern kratom products are, that percentage can increase dramatically
The more 7-OH that’s packed into a kratom shot or capsule, the more it binds to the brain’s mu-opioid receptors. These are the same receptors activated by heroin, oxycodone, and fentanyl. The result? Pain relief, euphoria, sedation, and in many cases, severe physical dependence.
There is no federal or state requirement that manufacturers have to disclose how much 7-OH is in a product. No safety testing. No potency standard. No oversight at all.
People in Kansas are ingesting a drug that affects the brain like an opioid, without even knowing they’re doing it.
Imagine If a Bottle of Vodka Didn’t Have a Proof Label
Imagine walking into a liquor store where every bottle was unlabeled. One shot might be the equivalent of a beer. The next might hit like Everclear. You wouldn’t know until it was already in your system.
That’s the current reality with kratom products containing 7-OH.
Two different “kratom shots” from the same store shelf might deliver completely different doses of the compound. One may provide mild stimulation. The other may induce a near-blackout state. And because 7-OH has a delayed onset and long half-life, the effects can creep up slowly and linger unpredictably, especially when mixed with other substances like alcohol or benzodiazepines.
Without regulation, there’s no way to compare products, dose safely, or even know what “safe” means. Users are flying blind.
Regulation Is About Transparency
In addiction science, regulation doesn’t mean prohibition. It means information. It means creating a basic structure so that people know what they’re consuming, how strong it is, and what the risks are.
When a product has effects on the opioid receptors in your brain and is being sold without dosage guidelines, purity testing, or manufacturing accountability, it creates the perfect storm for addiction.
Providers in Kansas are already seeing it firsthand: clients arriving at treatment not for meth, heroin, or pills, but for 7-OH-rich kratom products they thought were herbal supplements. They had no idea they were physically dependent on an opioid analog. They just knew they got really, really sick when they stopped taking it.
7-OH Isn’t Illegal. That’s Part of the Problem.
Because 7-OH occurs naturally in the kratom plant, it isn’t scheduled as a controlled substance. That gives it a kind of free pass, especially in states like Kansas, where kratom products are still widely sold without restriction. But legal does not mean safe.
The opioid epidemic didn’t start with heroin. It started with prescription pills, legal, regulated, FDA-approved medications that were supposed to be safe. We’ve seen what happens when potency outpaces understanding. We’ve seen how fast a “non-addictive alternative” can become a public health crisis. We cannot afford to repeat that pattern.
People Deserve Better Than Guesswork
Until there is regulation, education must take the lead. Addiction treatment centers, physicians, families, and community health workers need to understand that kratom today is not just a leaf powder. It is a fast-moving, high-variability, unregulated opioid-like substance being sold as an herbal supplement.
People using these products deserve clear information, safe off-ramps, and compassionate care.
Sunflower Recovery provides clinical addiction treatment for individuals struggling with kratom and 7-OH dependence. If you or someone you care about is using kratom and finding it harder to stop, you’re not imagining it. There’s a reason and there’s help. We’re here to talk when you’re ready.