Los Angeles County officials are set to pull kratom and its synthetic extract, sometimes called 7-OH, from shelves immediately.
Inspectors will be sent to retailers next week to begin red-tagging illegal products containing the compounds, the L.A. County Department of Public Health said in a news release Friday morning. Shops that don’t comply could be hit with fines or other penalties.
Kratom is an herbal extract from the leaves of Mitragyna speciosa, a tree native to Southeast Asia. It is sold in shops and online in a variety of forms, including powders, pills and liquid extracts. Brands selling kratom often make claims that it can address pain, anxiety and mood disorders.
Matthew Lowe, executive director of the Global Kratom Coalition, said natural kratom has been used in the U.S. for more than 50 years and according to a 2020 Johns Hopkins Survey, people have been using it to alleviate anxiety and treat chronic pain.
In the last few years, a more potent, synthetic version of kratom refined into its psychoactive compound 7-Hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, hit shelves across the U.S.
7-OH products are often marketed as “plant alkaloids,” drawing criticism from some, including Lowe, who argue the labeling is misleading, confusing consumers into thinking it’s the same as natural kratom.
When mixed with alcohol, medications or illicit drugs, the county health department warns, 7-OH products can “cause severe respiratory depression and death. Importantly, these products are unregulated and may contain unknown concentrations of 7-OH, increasing the risk of unintentional overdose.”
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