Whether you’re a long-time kratom consumer or just a person who enjoys reading the local news on weekend mornings, you may have come across a headline expressing concerns about 7-hydroxymitragynine (also written as 7-OH or 7-OH-mitragynine) and other new kratom-related products. Popular news outlets and other media sources have dubbed 7-OH products “legal morphine.” The companies that sell them, like 7-OHMZ (or 7ΩHMZ), Press’d, and Roxy, seem to be raking in profits.
On one hand, these companies claim their products are safe to consume and market them more like an over-the-counter medication than a dietary supplement. On the other hand, media sources, government agencies, and trade organizations demonize them, call on legislators to ban them, and warn consumers to avoid them.
Within the 7-OH marketing games and media stories that have been making waves recently, what are the realities, partial truths, or blatant misrepresentations of benefits or harms of this compound? Find out below in the third part of Harmful Headlines, our series on how brands and media sources misrepresent substances like tianeptine, kratom, and 7-OH, and related products.
Haven’t read the first two parts of Harmful Headlines yet? Learn more of the dirty details in Part One: What Is in Za Za Red Pills? No, It’s Not “Gas Station Heroin” and Part Two: Is Tianeptine Kratom? Kratom vs. Tianeptine Explained.
What is 7-OH? Is 7-Hydroxymitragynine in Kratom?
7-OH is an oxidative byproduct formed during the degradation of mitragynine—researchers have not found the molecule in fresh kratom leaves. Mitragynine is the most abundant alkaloid in most kratom leaves. When people pick leaves from a tree and mitragynine is oxidized, or when humans and non-human animals consume the leaves and metabolize mitragynine, some of it is converted to 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH).
Dried kratom leaf contains trace amounts of 7-hydroxymitragynine. An average batch of dry kratom leaf contains approximately 0.0015-0.015% 7-OH. A 1-gram serving of kratom leaf would thus contain 0.015-0.15 milligrams of 7-OH.
In the past few years, 7-OH has gained more attention. Manufacturers have isolated it to create tablets and shots with upwards of 10 mg 7-OH per serving. The number of companies selling these products has increased rapidly. 7-OHMZ, Press’d, Hydroxie, 7 Labs, EDP, and Roxy are just a few of the many brands selling 7-OH online and in smoke shops.
Is 7-Hydroxymitragynine Like Morphine?
Compared to whole-leaf kratom products and mitragynine extracts, 7-OH has not been well studied. Researchers have shown it to be many times more active at the μ-opioid receptor (mOR) than mitragynine. They have compared its activity level to that of morphine.
In and of itself, this relatively strong receptor activity doesn’t make 7-OH a “scary” or “bad” compound. It simply means that small amounts of the alkaloid can produce large effects. It also means a person needs to take care to ensure they consume the right amount. The same considerations apply for any psychoactive compound.
With a typical serving of a kratom leaf product (such as kratom powder or tea) of around 2g to 5g, it seems unlikely that the amount of 7-OH in the kratom would have a noticeable effect. It is possible, though, that the metabolism of mitragynine produces enough 7-OH to have a significant physiological effect.
Regardless of whether or not 7-OH is actively playing a very important role in the effect of leaf-based kratom products, the amount is still relatively far smaller than the amount that is available in isolated 7-OH products. Scientists have not yet studied the effects that these amounts of 7-OH have on humans.
7-OHMZ and Press’d Tablets vs. Pegasus and Za Za Capsules
7-OH products are relatively new to the market, but are quickly proliferating. In the last two years, over a dozen companies have popped up offering new 7-OH products. In mid-2024, there were nearly as many 7-OH product vendors as there were whole-leaf kratom vendors selling products at Champs, a popular smoke shop and head shop trade show.
Like Neptune’s Fix and other brands selling products containing tianeptine, 7-OH brands like 7-OHMZ or Press’d have sold 7-OH extracts with incomplete package labeling and illegal claims that 7-OH can treat medical issues. These brands have also marketed 7-OH by calling it kratom or a kratom extract, which is highly misleading.
Isolated Compounds Cannot Be Equated to the Plants They Are Derived From
A number of people are confused by the question, “is 7-OH kratom?” The simple answer is no, but the full answer is more complex because of how kratom leaves are used and marketed. In kratom leaves, 7-OH occurs in trace quantities and is just one of many active components. Therefore, it doesn’t make sense to call 7-OH-mitragynine tablets a “kratom product.”
Imagine seeing tablets at the store containing isolated trigonelline that were marketed as a coffee product or reading a news article that referred to the trigonelline tablets simply as “coffee.” You might be a bit confused, because trigonelline is a minor alkaloid found in coffee beans (that you may not have even heard of before). On top of that, when isolated and concentrated, trigonelline’s effects are notably different from the effects of an average cup of coffee.
This is opposite but parallel to how tianeptine has been conflated with Pegasus and Za Za Red Capsules. Tianeptine is one compound, but its reputation has been appreciably influenced by products that have multiple active components and undisclosed dosages.
A more honest approach to classifying and marketing 7-OH products is possible. “Synthesized from mitragynine” would be the most straightforward descriptor. “Derived from kratom,” “found in kratom,” or even “inspired by kratom” are more accurate descriptions. These phrases do not directly equate the products with kratom.
Many states which have enacted a kratom consumer protection law prohibit manufacturers from selling kratom products with a 7-hydroxymitragynine content that is over 1-2% of the total alkaloid content. By removing themselves from the category of “kratom product” altogether, 7-OH manufacturers could retain their products’ legality.
How Brand Names Influence Consumer Impressions of 7-OH Products
Companies can make a product much more dangerous and seductive to consumers through branding. Many 7-OH companies have brand names that signal to consumers the expected effects of their products. These names include slightly amended nicknames for black-market opioids and other popular psychoactive substances.
For example, the brand Press’d likely chose their name from the way illicit drug manufacturers may press fentanyl and other potent opioids into pharmaceutical pill molds to replicate pharmaceutical opioids before selling them. People oftentimes called these pressed pills “pressies.”
Next, the brand Roxy may be highlighting roxy in 7-hydroxymitragynine because it closely resembles “oxy.” Oxy is a common shorthand for OxyContin.
Lastly, a brand called K2 has popped up selling 7-OH shots each labelled as a “kratom extract.” Presumably this brand is following the trend set by synthetic cannabinoid manufacturers. Mount K2 is one of the highest and most-difficult-to-climb mountains in the world. In the late 2000s, a notorious brand named K2 distributed synthetic cannabinoids in gas stations and head shops.
Sensationalized Reporting Becomes Brand Advertising: The Unintentional Impacts of Media Reporting on 7-OH
Outside of branding and marketing strategies, there are numerous ways consumers learn about these products and their effects. Media reporting is a prominent one.
In December of 2023, the Tampa Bay Times published a multipart investigative series about the kratom market called Deadly Dose. Unfortunately, the series’ sensational headline eclipsed the critical and nuanced issues that the investigation highlighted—the dangerous workplaces, weak consumer protection laws, insufficient product labeling, and the like.
The headline, presumably used as clickbait, is misleading in the context of the content it precedes. It implies that the issues surrounding kratom are caused by the plant itself, and not the broken sociopolitical and cultural landscape kratom exists in.
Should People or Organizations Call 7-OH Legal Morphine? Why Some Media Reporting on 7-Hydroxy is Harmful
Multiple times throughout the Deadly Dose series, the Tampa Bay Times mentions that one kratom scientist has equated concentrated 7-hydroxymitragynine products to “legal morphine.” The Times then directly points its readers to where they can easily purchase a 7-OH product online.
The Times was quoting Dr. Abhisheak Sharma, who was specifically using the term legal morphine in reference to the 15mg 7-OH tablets produced by 7-OHMZ (or 7ΩHMZ). The unqualified comparison to morphine gives consumers a false understanding of what 7-OH is as its own unique molecule.
The comparison of kratom alkaloids like 7-OH to morphine oversimplifies the chemical and physiological differences between the two compounds. It misleads consumers into thinking 7-OH behaves identically to morphine, when in fact its physiological effects and risks may differ significantly.
Such comparisons also fuel cultural stigmatization by reinforcing fears associated with opioids. Such stigma has the potential to drive regulatory decisions based on fear rather than science. It overshadows the need for nuanced discussions about the unique properties of lesser-known substances.
While the Times seemed to be attempting to tell people that it is dangerous for 7-OH to be on the market, they did more than most to make the public aware of its availability and effects. It appears they have perpetuated the trend of media sources subliminally advertising for drugs.
Correlation of Media Sensationalism and Consumer Discussion of 7-OH on Reddit
A federally funded drug monitoring system, the National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS), noted a sharp increase in the number of mentions of 7-OH following the Times’ publication in December 2023.
The chart only tells us how many people are talking about 7-OH on one internet platform, but it can still provide us with a rough outline of the popularization of 7-OH products in lieu of other statistics. The spread of 7-OH should not be entirely attributed to the Tampa Bay Times’ reporting. It is quite possible that these products would have seen a gradual increase in popularity if they had not published and sparked debate through their investigation. Yet given what we know about media coverage and the proliferation of drugs, it seems likely they had a role in the increased demand.
Fear-Mongering About 7-Hydroxy and Kratom as Legal Morphine Continues
Dozens of other headlines like “deadly dose” and stories about “legal morphine” have been published in the last few months. Some of them have misappropriated the term legal morphine to refer to kratom in general, not just products like 7-OHMZ that are a concentrated extract of 7-OH. Commonly, this is done by for-profit rehabilitation companies or law firms that may financially benefit from fear-mongering about kratom-derived products.
Because 7-OH products on the market are very potent, have not been thoroughly researched, do not have a history of safe use, and are sold by unscrupulous brands, they should be approached with caution. But does that mean 7-OH and other kratom-derived products should be dubbed legal morphine and dragged through the mud by the media? We’d argue that the answer to this question is an evident no.
For the time being, we have no way of knowing what will sociopolitical benefits or harms will ensue as the number of people consuming 7-OH products increases. Many people argue that 7-OH is safe at very high dosages, while others fear significant public health ramifications due to its high potency and lack of research into long-term effects and contraindications.
If the worst-case scenario is realized, the kratom community at large could be punished by generalized acts of prohibition.
This potential outcome isn’t just a future threat. Law firms have already conflated products like 7-OHMZ tablets with kratom when advertising for wrongful death lawsuits. Debates over how to regulate 7-hydroxymitragynine have hindered the passage of more broad kratom consumer protection bills. If consumers, politicians, and other stakeholders fail to understand 7-hydroxymitragynine chemically and culturally, then more lawsuits, failed regulations, and ban attempts will likely ensue.
The Lost Art of Reading Beyond the Headlines
As concentrated kratom alkaloid extracts and tianeptine-containing products continue to generate headlines for purportedly ruining peoples’ lives, more people will be made aware of their availability and will end up trying them.
There are serious downstream consequences that result when a publication dumbs a story down or generalizes to keep a piece shorter and easier to read. These glib articles generate traffic, but unintentionally create new and uninformed consumers for the products they reproach.
To prevent this, drug journalists should dig further into nuances and avoid making comparisons between isolated compounds, plants, and brands without providing thorough explanations for doing so. They should read the results and data of scientific studies they reference, and should not rely on the abstracts, summary, and/or discussions. It is essential to interview scientists, but to remember that they are not necessarily unbiased. Additionally, drug journalism must convey how issues associated with certain substances are inseparable from the broader socioeconomic and cultural context in which they exist.
Headlines Like Deadly Dose and Legal Morphine Must Go
Lastly, the headlines need to change. Journalists are vying for despairingly limited attention from readers. Nevertheless, there is no justification for the use of sensationalized headlines with terms like legal morphine, gas station crack, and the like.
While all the nuances in the world might be covered in the body of an article, the sad fact of the matter is that most of the readers will only skim the headlines. Across the thirteen articles the Tampa Bay Times published on kratom, the authors got a lot of things right. Despite that, dubbing the investigation “Deadly Dose” imprints a feeling of danger that is not tempered by the balanced arguments in the articles’ content.
For more information on the dangers of sensationalized journalism, don’t forget to read Part One of Harmful Headlines, an exploration of why calling tianeptine gas station heroin does more harm than good.
Coming soon: our final installment of the series, a detailed analysis of the dangers of proprietary blends in the kratom and tianeptine industries.
