KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne reports on stories in Overland Park, Johnson County and topics about government accountability. She's been following 7-OH and its role in the Kansas City community extensively in Strong High Weak Laws. Share your story idea with Isabella.
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Two Kansas City-based companies are at the center of a federal investigation and operation involving illegal products sold at gas stations and convenience stores across the metro.
Federal agents seized about 73,000 products suspected of containing 7-hydroxymitragine, or 7-OH, at three warehouses in Kansas City, Missouri. The U.S. Marshals Service and FDA agents seized the products from Shaman Botanicals, LLC (American Shaman) and Relax Relief Rejuvenate Trading, LLC.
KSHB 41 obtained court documents describing the FDA operation at American Shaman's warehouses on Nov. 12.
7-OH is a concentrated, synthetic derivative of the herbal plant kratom. It's sold in convenience and corner stores nationwide and is widely available in the Kansas City area.
Addiction specialists have referred to the product as "gas station heroin" due to its potent, opioid-like effects and highly addictive nature. Neither 7-OH nor its parent plant, kratom, is federally regulated. Neither product is regulated in Kansas or Missouri, either.
Back in June, the FDA sent warning letters to American Shaman owner Vince Sanders and Relax Relief Rejuvenate owners Dustin Robinson and Ajaykumar Pate regarding their sales of 7-OH products.
Because 7-OH is not an FDA-approved product and is considered a new dietary ingredient, selling it is a violation of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
American Shaman continued to sell 7-OH products in November, as explained in an interview with KSHB 41's Isabella Ledonne.
“Products containing 7-OH are illegal under federal law,” said Brett A. Shumate, assistant attorney general in the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We have seen numerous reports of harmful health consequences in consumers, including children, who have taken 7-OH products. Working with our partners at FDA, we will take action against anyone participating in the illegal distribution of these products.”
The FDA is currently working to schedule 7-OH products as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, the same category as heroin and fentanyl.
Ledonne asked the Department of Justice if Sanders, Robinson and Ajaykumar are facing charges for their involvement in 7-OH manufacturing and sales. No response has been provided at the time of this publication.
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