KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Health officials in Missouri issued a health advisory Monday as the number of exposure cases to 7-OH continues to increase across the state.
In the first nine months of 2025, the Missouri Department of Health and Human Services recorded 47 reports of exposures involving kratom or 7-OH, nearly double for the same time period in 2024. Three cases involved the synthetic isolation of 7-OH, with a patient requiring hospitalization in one case.
“Products containing 7-OH are being marketed as natural remedies, but they carry serious risks including addiction, overdose and even death,” MoDHSS Chief Medical Officer Dr. Heidi Miller said Monday in the advisory. “We are seeing a rise in emergency room visits and poison control calls related to these products.”
7-OH is described as a psychoactive compound that’s a synthetic derivative of the kratom plant.
Health officials say that while kratom itself is a natural botanical, “isolated 7-OH is far more potent - up to 13 times stronger than morphine at opioid receptors - and has not been tested for safety in humans.”
Anyone who is experiencing symptoms or suspecting an overdose should call 911 and administer naloxone, if available.
Additional information is available on the MoDHSS website.
—
