Federal agents this week seized 73,000 products containing 7-hydroxymitragine, commonly known as 7-OH, from three Kansas City-area warehouses.
The seized products included things like power bars, pills and liquids shots that are made with a concentrate of 7-OH, which is the main opioid-inducing element in kratom.
The action came out of a partnership between the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Justice Department, according to the DOJ’s press release issued Tuesday.
“While 7-OH occurs naturally in trace amounts in the plant kratom, products containing 7-OH as an added ingredient can be dangerous,” states a civil forfeiture complaint filed on Nov. 21 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. “In the human body, 7-OH is able to bind to opioid receptors, raising concerns about its potential for abuse.”
7-OH products are advertised as improving chronic pain and “mental clarity,” and they are sold in Missouri smoke shops, gas stations, convenience stores and online shops.
The FDA sent warning letters in June to the facility owners, Shaman Botanicals LLC and Relax Relief Rejuvenate Trading LLC, stating the 7-OH products were considered “adulterated” and their labels were illegal under federal food laws.
On Nov. 12 and 13, FDA officials did an unannounced inspection of the three facilities, where they tagged and detained 76,000 units. Vince Sanders, who owns Shaman Botanicals LLC, said the company had the opportunity to appeal the FDA’s action, which they did. Shaman was the first company to make 7-OH products, Sanders said.
The DOJ filed a complaint to seize the detained products on Nov. 21, and officials from the FDA and U.S. Marshal Service seized the tagged boxes on Tuesday.
“The 7-OH products seized are illegal under federal law and pose risks to consumers, including children,” said R. Matthew Price, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri. “We are committed to helping American consumers protect themselves from dangerous chemicals posing as health products.”
Price said the department will continue to work with the FDA “to ensure illegal products never enter the stream of commerce and pursue all possible civil and criminal remedies against those who violate federal laws.”
This story was originally published by the Missouri Independent.
