In the last few years, a new substance quietly made its way onto gas station and vape shop shelves, many unaware...
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In the last few years, a new substance quietly made its way onto gas station and vape shop shelves, many unaware of its highly addictive properties. Media outlets and users alike have referred to it as “gas station heroin” but it’s not just being sold at gas stations, you can find it at almost any vape or smoke shop in the country, until recently that is.
On July 1 the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration filed its intent to temporarily place 7-hydroxymitagynine (7-OH) and three related substances into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
But what is 7-OH?
7-OH is short for 7-hydroxymitragynine which is a very potent chemical similar to opioids and found in trace amounts in the Mitragyna speciosa (kratom) plant.
In small amounts it may be relatively harmless but it’s being heavily synthesized into concentrated, candy-flavored tablets and drinks and sold in gas stations and vape shops around the country. Many assumed it was just another brand of kratom. Even the employees selling the products did not appear to know much about it when it first made its way onto counters a few years ago.
Of course, it didn’t take long to figure out that there was more to this substance than ordinary kratom.
One Google search will pull up Reddit thread after Reddit thread of firsthand accounts of what this drug is doing to the lives of its consumers.
One Reddit user writes:
“So, my brother, an Iraq war veteran with PTSD and chronic pain found kratom ages ago and that helped him a lot. Eventually, they came out with this 7-OH stuff, AKA Gas Station Heroin. He ended up blowing hundreds of dollars a week. He tried to ween himself off it for months to no avail. Now he’s on Suboxone, it’s the only thing that could get him off it. It really is nearly as bad as heroin.” [Source]
Another user shared his own experience:
“I’m desperate for help. I can’t stop buying it, I’ve tried to quit so many times and every time I take it I instantly regret it. It’s so readily available, I don’t have to wait for a drug dealer, it’s legal, and it gets the job done. There’s genuinely nothing stopping me but I want to stop.” [Source]
Many report an opioid-like high when taken in larger doses while others rave of the product’s benefits from easing chronic pain, helping with insomnia, to keeping people away from more dangerous street drugs, but is it really worth it?
When taken daily the body can become dependent on 7-Oh and when a user runs out or stops taking it, it can result in opioid-like withdrawals.
Withdrawals symptoms from 7-OH include:
While not life-threatening, these symptoms can cause severe discomfort and interrupt one’s ability to go about their normal daily routine.
Florida first banned highly concentrated 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) on August 13, 2025, when the Florida Attorney General issued an emergency rule, but soon enough manufacturers began developing new compounds allowing them to get around the ban.
The 7-OH products were quickly replaced with new labels and packaging, listing new ingredients such as: mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, and MGM-16. All of which are potent, semi-synthetic opioid derivatives created from the kratom plant and based on firsthand accounts, have proven to be no less addictive than those marketed as containing 7-OH.
On July 1, the DEA moved to classify all of these chemicals as Schedule 1 Controlled Substances and once that takes effect the manufacture, distribution, sale, and possession of covered 7-OH substances will become subject to criminal, civil, and administrative provisions of the Controlled Substances Act.
Does that mean that products containing these chemicals will no longer be sold?
One can hope but that may not be the case.
When 7-OH was banned, the companies that made it simply found more chemicals that are just as addictive and went about business as usual, so whose to say they will not do the same thing again.
These products are not FDA approved and as such, the consumer has no way of knowing what’s in them. Can you truly trust that the ingredients listed on the packaging are the only ingredients in them? Some of the companies who sell them provide lab tests on their websites, others do not.
It may best to err on the side of caution and avoid these products altogether.
They are often marketed as botanical supplements and come in packs of four or five fruity-flavored tablets ranging in price from $20-$50. They often come in a cardboard sleeve containing a blister pack but can also come in small bottles.
Some of the popular brands include:
