What to know about 7-OH, MGPI, the synthetic kratom extracts known as ‘gas station opioid’

Federal authorities and lawmakers are cracking down on synthetic concentrates of kratom, an herbal product sold legally over the counter in most states, as concerns rise over their risk to public health. 

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) signaled heightened concerns about kratom-derived extracts earlier this year when it announced plans to temporarily ban products containing concentrations of 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), mitragynine pseudoindoxyl (MGPI), MGM-15 and MGM-16. 

The agency is aiming to temporarily classify these substances as Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act. This action would not affect the natural herbal form of kratom also sold over the counter. 

These compounds are naturally present in the southeast Asian herb kratom, but in small trace amounts — miniscule in comparison to the primary psychoactive compound mitragynine, which is much milder in effect. 

Since around 2010, however, products containing synthetically concentrated extracts like 7-OH and other related compounds have become readily available over the counter at gas stations and tobacco shops. Due to the opioid-like effect these substances have — binding to the same receptors in the body — they’ve become colloquially known as “gas station opioid.” 

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) put its support behind the DEA’s push to schedule these substances, issuing its own recommendations on how to determine which concentrations should be placed in Schedule I. 

Concerns spiked after products containing a blend of the synthetically concentrated compounds were discovered near the bodies of two deceased University of Mississippi students, though a cause of death has not determined in either case. 

Oliver Grundmann, clinical professor in the Department of........

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