Kratom and its derivatives, marketed as natural remedies for pain and anxiety, are drawing urgent warnings from addiction medicine specialists who describe the substances as highly addictive and dangerous. Dr. Joe Desanto, who works with Orange County addiction treatment centers, called kratom “highly addictive even for people who aren’t addicts” and expressed concern about treatment-seeking athletes and fitness enthusiasts experiencing withdrawal symptoms.
The culprit is 7-OH, a potent derivative of kratom stocked at vape shops and gas stations until California’s recent crackdown. Unlike traditional opiates, 7-OH fits the brain’s opiate receptors like an opioid, producing euphoria and rapid withdrawal that is extraordinarily difficult to manage. “Fentanyl detox is easier and more manageable,” Desanto noted. The detox management used for opioids is ineffective for 7-OH.
Federal tracking shows kratom was implicated in at least 846 fatal overdoses in 30 states and D.C. according to CDC data. In California, kratom was implicated in 242 deaths over a three-year period, with 27 blamed solely on “the illegal substance,” according to the California Department of Public Health. California poison control data logged 67 kratom-related cases in 2022, 104 in 2024, and 215 in 2025. In the first seven months of 2025 alone, there were at least 165 reports related to 7-OH, with more than a third involving serious health problems requiring healthcare facility treatment.
The FDA warned that kratom and 7-OH products “have not been proven to be safe or effective” and noted that newborns have experienced withdrawal symptoms. California seized more than $5 million of kratom and 7-OH products from licensed businesses, achieving a 95% compliance rate with removal enforcement.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://us.headtopics.com/news/gas-station-heroin-can-be-deadly-but-it-s-just-a-mouse-82900431