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You've probably seen the signs on shops and gas stations advertising 7OH and Kratom.
The sale of the products is currently an unregulated industry in Kansas, Missouri and at the federal level. But that could change soon.
Kansas City, Missouri, City Council is looking to add regulations to the sale of Kratom in the city limits. The council unanimously passed an ordinance ordering the city manager to study regulation plans in other communities and report back in 30 days.
Kratom has been around for centuries. But it's synthetic derivative, 7OH, has not.
You can currently find 7OH sold in tablets, gummies, liquids and other products at gas stations and smoke shops. One of the biggest retailers in the Kansas City area is American Shaman. The company started producing 7OH in tablet form two years ago.
"Mitragynine is the main alkaloid in kratom. What happens is your body takes this mitragynine and your liver converts 25% of that into 7OH," American Shaman Founder Vince Sanders said. "That is kind of what led us to creating 7OH. We just did what your body's already doing."
Sanders said thousands of people have purchased it since it's launch two years ago.
"7OH just gives you a good feeling for pain management," Sanders said. "Who doesn't want to feel good, right?"
7OH is marketed as a safe alternative to painkillers, but it comes with a warning that if taken incorrectly it can cause addiction. Customers at American Shaman have to sign a form that outlines the risks and be over the age of 21.
Sanders explained the demand has increased dramatically in the metro, just as the FDA recently sent out a warning to companies illegally marketing the product.
"If you're coming from an opioid abuse platform and you're using this in large quantities and you continue to up and up and up, you will develop an addiction," Sanders said. "It's more akin to caffeine than it is to a traditional opioid."
But those who work in addiction recovery and with those who are currently going through a 7OH addiction, disagree.
"I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between someone being on fentanyl and someone being on 7OH," Joey Thomas said.
Thomas works as a recovering housing manager at Healing House KC. He explained his concern with how easily you can find kratom and 7OH in the metro.
"How come I can go buy Gatorade at the same place I can buy something that can get me high?" Thomas said.
At American Shaman, the 7OH pills only cost about $10. It's low cost and widespread availability have coined a new name on the street.
"It's definitely gas station heroin," Thomas said.
Sanders disagreed.
"Gas station heroin's a great term to grab attention," Sanders said. "Nobody really follows that and people who are learned certainly don't believe it."
Sanders explained he would welcome regulation, despite its expected impact on sales, if the product was saved from a full ban.
"We'd love to have regulation," Sanders explained. "But as long as we're just fighting for survival, there's no time to regulate."
"It's the wild, wild west out here," Kansas City Councilman Johnathan Duncan said at Thursday's meeting. "We got legal cocaine, legal heroin and legal weed. We got to get this under control."
The Kansas City Council is starting the process to regulate kratom sales, which could include its synthetic derivative 7OH. The city manager is expected to present an update in 30 days.
If you or someone you know is struggling with addition, help is available in the Kansas City metro.
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