Kratom vs 7-OH, Montanans Need to Know the Difference

We're seeing more and more bad news stories about kratom here in Montana. But here's what you need to know- there's a big difference between natural kratom vs 7-OH, the synthetic version of kratom.

Background: Kava bars are becoming very popular in Montana. Kava is kind of like a tea, a natural relaxant. Many people like going to Kava bars as an alternative to alcohol. At many of these kava bars, you will also find kratom. Natural kratom drinks that is. And that's an important distinction.

I was talking with Attorney General Austin Knudsen (R-MT) on Monday about a whole host of topics, and this was something we wrapped up the conversation on.

His office has been posting warnings about 7-OH, 7-hydroxymitragynine. 

As he explains it, 7-OH is a widely available over-the-counter opioid which is 13 times more potent than morphine. Since 2020, the Montana Department of Health and Human Services has recorded 29 deaths in Montana involving 7-OH.

Natural kratom drinks you might find at a Kava bar in Billings, for example, is not what regulators are concerned about, AG Knudsen says. It is the synthetics, 7--OH, showing up on store shelves that needs to be regulated.

AG Knudsen: "Some of these synthetic kratom derivatives are ultra high, concentrated and are more powerful than morphine. They're completely unregulated. Kratom and 7-OH, and again, I'm going to differentiate between the two. I'm talking synthetic 7-0H is not on a federal drug schedule anywhere. It's not on the state drug schedule in Montana, so it's wide open. It's the wild west in Montana to be able to walk in- and we see these at a lot of convenience stores in Montana. We see these at vape shops in Montana, unregulated, usually coming from foreign countries, highly concentrated, very powerful 7-OH derivative."

So what needs to be done about it from the AG's perspective?

AG Knudsen: "I think we're going to see the Fed likely put this on a drug schedule. The Food and Drug Administration at the federal level is already talking about this. There's a ton of science out there. I think it's justified here in Montana, it's going to take the legislature. It's not an authority that I have or DPHHS has. It's going to take the legislature to put it on a drug schedule here in Montana. And again, I think we got to differentiate between natural kratom and these wild, crazy, imported synthetics and concentrates."

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