The highly addictive new drug 7-OH is becoming increasingly popular across the country and here in the Kansas City metro.
The opioid-like substance is sold in pill form, along with shots and gummies at off-brand gas stations, smoke shops and online. Users often develop a high tolerance and dependence on the drug and experience severe withdrawal symptoms when they try to step away from taking it.
In a new three-part investigative series from The Kansas City Star, reporter David Hudnall uncovers how the dangerous drug has become so popular — and explains how the Kansas City business American Shaman is contributing to 7-OH's meteoric rise.
"You can get them at these over the counter (places), at any smoke shop. So, they don't seem like they're going to be that powerful of a drug. So (people) start taking them, and realize pretty quickly that they have developed a tolerance," Hudnall told KCUR's Up To Date.
"Then all of a sudden they're spending hundreds of dollars a day on on this drug. And, you know, it causes withdrawals really fast. So if you don't take it, you start to get really sick."
- David Hudnall, reporter, The Kansas City Star
