FDA urges crackdown on 7-OH, a potent opioid-like substance sold in gas stations

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Federal health officials are calling for urgent action against a powerful, unregulated substance being sold in gas stations, vape shops, and convenience stores across the country.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is recommending that 7-Hydroxymitragynine, commonly known as 7-OH or 7-O, be classified as a controlled substance.

The compound, derived from the kratom plant, is described by experts as a synthetic opioid that is up to 13 times more potent than morphine.

"This is a really sinister, sinister industry," said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary emphasized the dangers at a press conference Tuesday, noting that despite its potency, 7-OH is widely available without regulation.

"Scientifically, by definition, it is an opioid," Makary said. "Yet it is sold in vape stores, smoke shops, convenience stores, and gas stations."

An Action News investigation found the substance readily available in several Philadelphia-area vape shops. While employees declined to speak on camera, some acknowledged a rise in daily purchases and signs of addiction among customers.

Bruce Ruck of the New Jersey Poison Control Center said his team is already treating patients showing signs of withdrawal.

"We're dealing with a few patients right now. One is agitated and appears to be in withdrawal," Ruck said.

He compared 7-OH to other unregulated substances like tianeptine, often referred to as "gas station heroin." Several states have already banned kratom and its derivatives, but Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware have not.

"Children and young adults have access to it. Everybody has access to it," Ruck added. "And there's no stopping it until the government puts a kibosh on it."