He thought he was buying natural kratom. Instead, an Iraq War combat medic says he became addicted to concentrated synthetic 7-OH — a powerful lab-made substance increasingly sold under the kratom name in convenience stores and smoke shops. In just three months, he says he lost his $16,000 savings while consuming nearly 1,000 milligrams a…

Veteran members of Congress — a retired Marine Corps general and an Army veteran and physician — are urging the Drug Enforcement Administration to schedule concentrated synthetic 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) products flooding gas stations, while protecting access to natural kratom leaf. The pressure on Washington to confront the fourth wave of the opioid epidemic is no…

There’s a line in the sand — and the concentrated synthetic 7-OH industry is trying to erase it. On one side: natural kratom leaf, a plant used safely for centuries. On the other: concentrated, chemically converted 7-OH tablets like Perks, OXin, and Opia — engineered in a lab to deliver hundreds of times the 7-OH…

Letter Underscores Dangers of Lab-Made Opioids, Bolstering Call for Federal Ban WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Stop Gas Station Heroin coalition today commended the publishing of a new case report in Clinical Toxicology that underscores the dangerous and potentially lethal effects of concentrated synthetic 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) opioid products. In a letter to the editor of the…

Concentrated synthetic 7-OH opioids are being disguised in packaging that looks just like everyday candy — gummies, mints, even ice cream cones. These aren’t harmless snacks. They’re lab-made opioids the FDA warns may be up to 13 times stronger than morphine. Yet they’re being sold openly in gas stations, smoke shops, and online — putting…

Federal Strategy Recognizes the Severe Risks of Foreign Concentrated Synthetic 7-OH Opioids Sold in Gas Stations and Convenience Stores Nationwide WASHINGTON, D.C. — Stop Gas Station Heroin today applauded the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for explicitly naming concentrated synthetic 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) opioid products in its Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy.…

Joint Enforcement Operation Removes Hundreds of Thousands of Harmful Products From Store Shelves in Six States WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Stop Gas Station Heroin coalition today applauded Attorney General Pam Bondi and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for their joint enforcement action targeting distributors and retailers selling illicit vaping products —…

Stop Gas Station Heroin praises Florida crackdown on addictive, synthetic concentrated 7-OH opioid products. WASHINGTON, D.C. — Stop Gas Station Heroin is commending the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) for seizing more than 17,000 packages of concentrated synthetic 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) opioid products from retail store shelves across the state. Florida Agriculture Commissioner…

Residents and health professionals in Colorado warned about the dangers of concentrated synthetic 7-OH opioid products, with experts reporting severe withdrawal symptoms, rapid tolerance buildup, and serious health risks.

For 15 years, Jake used natural leaf kratom responsibly. It gave him stability, peace, and control of his life. He never went into debt, never hid from his family, and never lost himself. But the moment he tried a synthetic 7-OH pill — sold casually over the counter at a tobacco shop under the brand…