News · 2026-07-16
AMA Delegates and Columbia Psychiatrist Warn: 7-OH Products Are Basically Opioids in a Lawless Market
Source: Healio
Why it matters
Primary care physicians are increasingly seeing patients with 7-OH dependence who don't realize they are physiologically addicted to what is essentially a potent opioid sold legally at gas stations. Clinicians need specific questioning strategies and treatment pathways before DEA scheduling changes the landscape.
The big picture
The DEA's July 1 temporary scheduling of 7-OH above a threshold came alongside the AMA expanding its kratom policy at its June 2026 annual meeting. Together they represent the strongest coordinated institutional response to kratom-derived products in years. The shift reflects a narrowing but important distinction: traditional kratom leaf has been available for 20 years without major public health alerts, but concentrated 7-OH products marketed as gummies and shots are pharmacologically more similar to prescription opioids than to botanical kratom.
Key findings
- The AMA expanded its policy to call for a complete ban on marketing, distribution, or sale of 7-OH products and similar derivatives
- The AMA specifically flagged marketing to minors through candy-like gummies, brightly colored packaging, and flavored products
- FDA data shows 7-OH produces respiratory depression with more than threefold greater potency than morphine
- Columbia University psychiatrist Adam Bisaga, MD, noted a dramatic clinical shift in the past 2-3 years with far more patients presenting with 7-OH dependence
- Bisaga cautioned that abrupt scheduling could push dependent users to seek black-market substitutes, echoing concerns from the opioid crisis
What they say
"Right now, it's basically a wild west, and we have so many people presenting for treatment who never really expected to be addicted. They don't even know what's happening with them." -- Adam Bisaga, MD, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, speaking to Healio, July 2026
Bottom line
The AMA and leading clinicians now say concentrated 7-OH products are functionally opioids, and primary care doctors will see more dependent patients whether or not DEA scheduling succeeds.