{"id":316764,"date":"2026-06-23T12:08:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T12:08:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/316764\/"},"modified":"2026-06-23T12:08:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T12:08:12","slug":"florida-extends-crackdown-with-new-rules-on-7-oh-other-kratom-related-products","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/316764\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida extends crackdown with new rules on 7-OH, other kratom-related products"},"content":{"rendered":"

Florida is expanding its crackdown on a byproduct of kratom, known as 7-OH, which can be stronger than morphine, highly addictive and even deadly, officials said Monday.<\/p>\n

\nThe state limited sales of 7-OH last year in an emergency rule that outlawed over 0.04% concentrate, but new products emerged that skirted the restriction.<\/p>\n

\nFlorida Attorney General James Uthmeier signed another emergency measure with new series of restrictions on Monday during a press conference<\/a> at Tampa General Hospital.<\/p>\n

\n“We are going to make sure that new chemical compounds that are being used to blend or substitute 7-OH derivatives will be included,” he said. “Florida medical examiners have linked at least 587 overdose deaths to 7-OH and related chemical compound drugs.”<\/p>\n

\nThe chemicals covered include 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, 7-acetoxymitragynine, 9-hydroxycorynantheidine, 10-hydroxycorynantheidine, MGM-15 and MGM-16.<\/p>\n

\nThe new emergency rule<\/a> says no product may contain more than 1 milligram of these chemicals per gram or milliliter. It also says any product containing 7-OH or related compounds must contain at least 100 times more mitragynine by mass. This ensures that super concentrated formulas won’t be sold.<\/p>\n

\nThese products are sold in gas stations, vape shops,or online. They include gummies, tablets, drink mixes, shots, teas and concentrated liquid extracts.<\/p>\n

\nBrands include Hydroxy, 7Tabz and 7-OHMZ. They are sometimes marketed as pain relief, and some people who take them believe they can help them stop misusing drugs or alcohol, doctors said.<\/p>\n

\n“They perceive it sometimes as a safer alternative,” said Dr. Thomas Nappe, the medical director of inpatient addiction medicine at Tampa General Hospital. The highly concentrated ingredients can be risky, he warned.<\/p>\n

\n“These products become more potent, they become more dangerous, they become much more addictive. (Users) are finding themselves suffering from severe dependency, severe tolerance in just a couple of days, and overdose and death is a very real risk,” Nappe said.<\/p>\n

\nUsers may experience tremors, hypertension, elevated heart rate, severe anxiety and even seizures, doctors said.<\/p>\n

\nAll ages are affected, from 3-month-old babies who are accidentally exposed to people as old as 97, according to Dr. Cory Howard, an emergency physician at TGH.<\/p>\n

\n“7-OH is deliberately designed to hide its dangers. It’s often labeled natural or made from a botanical extract. It’s marketed as a remedy for pain and anxiety, and it appeals to children with bright packaging and fruit flavors,” Howard said.<\/p>\n

\n“In recent years, we’ve seen a rising trend of exposure to these 7-OH products,” Howard added. “In the first four months of 2026, Florida Poison Control has already received 95 cases of calls of 7-OH and other derivatives. At this pace, we’re going to surpass our last year’s numbers.”<\/p>\n

\"Patti<\/p>\n

screenshot \/ The Florida Channel<\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

The Florida Channel<\/p>\n

Patti Wheeler talked about losing her son, Wyatt, to the substance.<\/p>\n

Patti Wheeler said she lost her son to the products. He died having a seizure, just weeks after she learned he was consuming a powder, which he’d told her contained a harmless herbal supplement.<\/p>\n

\n“My son Wyatt died after using a kratom concentrate product, something that was 50 to 100 times more powerful than the powder he was taking,” the Jacksonville woman said.<\/p>\n

\n“I do not believe that Floridians should be a part of a nationwide experiment involving products that can be purchased in convenience stores and gas stations without the level of scrutiny that we expect from a substance that affects our bodies and minds.”\n<\/p>\n

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