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Local outreach worker warns council about rising availability and risks of 7‑OH kratom extract
Summary
An outreach specialist told the Rancho Cucamonga City Council that 7‑OH (a kratom extract sometimes called 'gas station heroin') is being sold locally and poses overdose and addiction risks; he said state legislation is stalled and neighboring jurisdictions have enacted local regulation.
During public comment on April 22, Andrew Hanif, an outreach specialist with ReachOut, told the council that a kratom extract commonly referred to as "7‑OH" is being sold in local liquor and smoke shops and presented research claims about its potency and overdose risk.
"7‑OH or gas station heroin, as some call it, is a kratom extract... 7‑OH binds to the same opioid receptors as conventional opioids and provides users with a sense of euphoria and pain reduction," Hanif said. He told the council that research "indicates that 7‑OH is at least 13 times more potent than morphine," and warned that people are becoming addicted and can overdose on the substance.
Hanif said 7‑OH is not FDA‑approved, is sold without prescription and comes in pill, powder, drink, vape and gummy forms. He noted that, as of the meeting, California state legislation addressing 7‑OH had stalled, though some neighboring counties and cities have enacted local regulations.
Hanif offered materials to the council and said reach‑out staff were available for follow‑up questions. The council did not record a formal response to his claims in the transcript; staff and public‑health follow‑up would determine whether further action is appropriate.
