Pasadena Public Health is warning residents to avoid products that contain kratom and the synthetic kratom compound known as 7-Hydroxymitragynine (7-OH).
Six recent overdose deaths in Los Angeles County among people aged 18-40 have been tied to 7-OH ingestion, according to a City of Pasadena news release. There have not been any confirmed deaths tied to 7-OH ingestion in Pasadena.
“The safest choice is to avoid all 7-OH products,” Dr. Parveen Kaur, acting health officer, said in a statement. “At low doses, 7‑OH acts as a stimulant; at high doses, as an opioid. This product is highly addictive and combining it with alcohol, prescription drugs, or illicit substances can dangerously slow breathing and even cause death.”
7-H is being synthetically concentrated into unregulated edibles sold in gas stations, smoke shops and online across the county. The products are marketed as “plant alkaloids” or dietary supplements for pain, anxiety, mood, withdrawal or energy, and may appear as tablets, gummies, drink mixes or concentrated liquid shots, according to the news release.
Anyone who decides to use these substances is urged to never use alone, stagger use in groups, avoid mixing drugs and carry naloxone. For more information, visit publichealth.lacounty.gov and recoverla.org.
The poison control hotline can be reached at 800-222-1222. To reach the Substance Abuse Service Hotline (SASH), call 800-854-7771.
