Three additional fatal overdoses associated with the synthetic compound kratom, known by its nickname “gas station heroin,” have been confirmed in Los Angeles County, officials said Friday.
The recent overdoses of residents between the ages of 18 to 40 years old brought the total of local deaths now tied to the substance to six, according to the county Medical Examiner.
Kratom, an herbal medicine, comes from evergreen tree leaves in Southeast Asia and has opioid and stimulant effects. Authorities warn the drug can be addictive and lead to psychosis in high doses.
Alcohol was present with the compound known as 7-hydroxymitragynine or 7-OH in many of the fatal overdose cases, in addition to other medications and, at times, illicit substances. However, the victims were otherwise generally healthy, authorities said.
Kratom is not lawfully marketed in the United States as a drug product, dietary supplement or food additive.
“Kratom and 7-OH products are marketed as natural remedies and sold illegally in gas stations, smoke shops, online and other retailers,” Dr. Gary Tsai, director of the county health department’s Substance Abuse Prevention and Control Bureau, said in a statement. “It’s critical that the community understand that these products are dangerous and can result in fatal overdoses. The safest thing to do is avoid using 7-OH and kratom-related products altogether.”
The suspected illegal sale of 7-OH products can be reported to the county Environmental Health department at 888-700-9995.
In this article, kratom is referred to inconsistently—as a synthetic substance, “gas station heroin,” and an herbal medicine. This is misleading and stigmatizing. Kratom is a natural botanical, derived from the leaves of Mitragyna speciosa, a tree native to Southeast Asia. It has been used safely for centuries in traditional settings and is not synthetic.
The term “gas station heroin” is both inaccurate and inflammatory. It conflates kratom with unrelated substances and undermines informed public discourse. Importantly, the compound 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), which the article states was present along with alcohol in the victims, is not kratom. It is a semisynthetic derivative made from a metabolite that occurs only in trace amounts through oxidation after harvest. Its detection in these cases should not be used to extrapolate risk to natural, unadulterated kratom leaf products.
In light of this, I respectfully request that Dr. Gary Tsai, Director of the County Health Department’s Substance Abuse Prevention and Control Bureau, provide the evidence supporting his claim that kratom products “are dangerous and can result in deadly overdoses.” Such a statement warrants scientific substantiation, especially given the ongoing public health and policy implications. Dr. Heidi Sykora