KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne reports on stories in Overland Park, Johnson County and topics about government accountability. She has reported extensively on kratom and synthetic 7-OH usage in the Kansas City metro in the ongoing series, Strong High Weak Laws. Share your story idea with Isabella.
—
The Missouri Attorney General is expanding her statewide investigation into manufacturers and businesses selling kratom and synthetic 7-OH products. This comes after Attorney General Catherine Hanaway issued six Civil Investigative Demands (CID) to retailers at the end of November.
Three Kansas City metro businesses are involved in the investigation targeting "troubling reports that consumers may be exposed to unapproved, unsafe and deceptively marketed opioid-like drugs."
Relax Relief Rejuvenate Trading LLC, SmokeTokz, a company operating the shop 'Smoke and Vape Tokz', and American Shaman in Kansas City all received CIDs. The shops are believed to be making, selling or distributing kratom products that may violate Missouri law, according to the Attorney General's Office. The demands require the shops to disclose how their products are made, labeled and any communications regarding safety of suspected psychoactive substances.
“Our Office will not back down against businesses that choose to profit by selling powerful psychoactive compounds outside the law,” Attorney General Hanaway said in a release. “Missourians have the right to know exactly what is in the products they consume, and they deserve honesty, not companies willing to put their health in jeopardy. We won’t let Missouri consumers become test subjects for dangerous and misleading opioid-like drugs.”
KSHB 41's Isabella Ledonne has been extensively reporting on kratom and 7-OH in the Kansas City metro as a part of the ongoing series, Strong High Weak Laws.
Kratom is a traditional herbal plant that has been used and marketed for pain relief and holistic purposes. 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, is a compound found in very small amounts in kratom.
About two years ago, American Shaman founder and owner Vince Sanders learned how to extract 7-OH from kratom and produce it in a concentrated, synthetic tablet form. It's widespread availability and lack of regulation in the metro, states and country have skyrocketed demand and awareness.
Doctors, health departments and addiction prevention advocates have criticized the product, often referring to it as 'gas station heroin' for its opioid like effects and addiction properties. Some users and producers, like Sanders, have defended the product as a safe, harm reduction option for pain killers and recovering addicts.
“It's really a matter of properly using this product and using it the way that the label would indicate," Sanders said. "As long as you do that, you just don't see problems."
The FDA recently seized more than 70,000 7-OH products from the American Shaman warehouses in Kansas City. Sanders claims the agents had no grounds to do so as the FDA did not respond to American Shaman's warning letter response. He filed a motion to dismiss the case on December 11.
Kansas City, Missouri's health department has reported at least one polysubstance death in which kratom and/or 7-OH was involved, prompting Mayor Quinton Lucas to propose a blanket ban on selling all unregulated products.
Kratom Bunny Vape and More in O'Fallon, Sunshine Ventures Inc. in western Missouri, Get Plugged in St. Louis and Flare Smoke N Vape in Ballwin also are a part of the Missouri Attorney General's investigation.
—
