LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WKRC) – The Kentucky Department for Public Health has issued a warning regarding 7-hydroxymitragynine, commonly referred to as “7-OH”.

The Kentucky Department for Public Health and the Kentucky Office of Drug Control issued a warning to social media on Thursday, regarding the substance that has been described as the “latest smoke shop craze.”

“The Kentucky Department for Public Health and the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy advise the public not to consume 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) and kratom products due to the risk of severe adverse reactions,” the post reads.

According to officials, possible reactions to “7-OH” include but are not limited to the following:

• Neonatal abstinence syndrome in newborns “following prolonged exposure to kratom before birth”

Officials wrote that kratom has been identified as “a drug of concern” by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and is not currently approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for use in dug or supplement products in the United States due to the “risk of serious negative health effects.”

The development comes after the Scientific Association for Botanical Education and Research (SABER) sounded the alarm over the public health alleged risks associated with products labeled as 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH).

The association claimed that 7-OH products are often falsely labeled as kratom leaf extracts, are synthetically produced and pose significant danger.

“Synthetic 7-OH is not kratom—it is a highly potent, unregulated chemical,” said Professor Paula Brown of the BC Institute of Technology. “Consumers have a right to transparency, yet these products are often mislabeled and marketed deceptively as natural extracts. Without proper quality and safety testing, they carry a significant risk of causing harm.”

SABER highlighted the following key concerns regarding the products:

• Potency and Abuse Potential: “Synthetic 7-OH is up to 30 times more potent than morphine at opioid receptors, increasing the risk of dependence and overdose.”

• Masquerading as Natural Products: “These synthetic products are often deceptively marketed as “natural kratom extracts,” misleading consumers into believing they are purchasing a safer, plant-based product.”

• Health Risks: “Due to the lack of clinical safety data, synthetic 7-OH products pose severe risks, including respiratory depression, toxicity, and addiction.”

• Regulatory Non-Compliance: “Synthetic 7-OH does not meet FDA definitions of a food or dietary ingredient and is considered an unapproved drug. Many states, including Arizona, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah, have enacted bans on synthetic 7-OH exceeding 2% of total alkaloid content in products.

Goblin, a popular YouTuber, uploaded what he described as “one of the most important videos I have ever made” on March 7, which directly addressed 7-OH products.

In the video, Goblin, born Nicholas Campana, said 7-OH products had become the “latest smoke shop craze.”

“The companies that are selling this to you and the smoke shops that are selling this to you are not properly warning you about what this product really can do to you,” Campana said during the video, which has been viewed more than half a million times.

Campana revealed in the video that he had been contacted by an individual claiming to be involved in one of the “leading brands in the space,” who said they wished to speak “off the record.”

After reading the message in its entirety, Campana said it was “too egregious” for him to proceed.

The following message is displayed on Campana’s video:

“I wanna have a real (expletive) conversation with you about the whole 7oh industry. I was one of the people who helped set this whole thing into motion and I know more about it than 99% of people. There’s things that as a company we can’t “legally” say, but I don’t want to have to watch my words because of liability reasons. (Redacted) said you wanted to record the conversation, so that complicates things further. But I really just want to be real with you and give you my perspective as someone with chronic pain, someone who is actively addicted to 7oh, and someone who helped build this monster.”

“Funny thing is, in the early days I tried contacting you through your email because I wanted to send you some samples and get your opinion on what we we’re doing.”

“So lmk if you have any ideas on how we can have a truly open dialogue where I don’t have to watch my words or worry about our conversation biting the whole industry in the (expletive).”

Campana revealed that he had received an email from a 7-OH company that appeared to offer to send a sample of its “flagship product,” which was described as “an isolate of the most potent kratom alkaloid 7-hydroxy-mitragynine.”

Campana, who openly describes himself as a recovering drug addict, told viewers that he became “very mad, very quickly” after he realized what had offered to send him.

“They had the nerve to send an email to someone who is very publicly a recovering drug addict and offer me a drug that they fully know is very addictive and will activate my opioid receptors and then chose to not warn me about it what-so-ever,” he said during the video.

After researching the 7-OH market, Campana found that some companies used language such as “syrup,” “roxy,” “perks” and “sippers only” on labels and packaging.

“There is so much out there that is just predatory, targeting the absolute, most-vulnerable consumer,” Campana said during the video.

The Tampa Bay Times launched an investigation into 7-OH products back in 2023 and found that the tablets in a particular 7-OH product were so potent that Abhisheak Sharma, a scientist with the University of Florida, likened them to “legal morphine” and advised they shouldn’t be sold to consumers.

SABER urged lawmakers in its statement to enforce stricter regulations on synthetic 7-OH products and called for penalties against manufacturers that mislead consumers.

“It is imperative swift action is taken to close regulatory loopholes that allow dangerous synthetic 7-OH products to infiltrate the market,” SABER wrote in the statement. “Consumers, health professionals, and legislators must unite to demand accountability and ensure safety.”

The Kentucky Department for Public Health warned that kratom “in its modern forms, especially 7-OH” can pose “new and serious risks” to consumers.

“There are no guarantees that kratom products contain the ingredients that the packages claim, that active ingredients are present in the correct concentrations, or that products are free from contaminants or other drugs. Kratom in its modern forms, especially 7-OH when concentrated or synthetically made, poses new and serious risks to the health and safety of consumers,” officials in Kentucky wrote.