Clallam County Sheriff: Concentrated 7-OH at Gas Stations Is a Public Safety Crisis in the Making

Why it matters

A sitting county sheriff's public statement about kratom and 7-OH incidents provides a frontline law enforcement perspective that is rarely documented in clinical or policy literature. His message — that availability at ordinary retail locations does not equal safety — echoes concerns from public health officials nationwide.

The big picture

Clallam County Sheriff Brian King wrote in an op-ed that his deputies had responded in the past month to acute behavioral and medical crises involving individuals where kratom or kratom-derived products were believed to be a contributing factor alongside other controlled substances. He described concentrated 7-OH products being available in gas stations, convenience stores, and smoke shops in opioid-like forms including gummies, tablets, and dissolvable strips. The DEA's 30-day notice period for 7-OH scheduling expired in early August, meaning the agency can issue a final order at any time.

Key findings

• Clallam County Sheriff's deputies responded to multiple kratom and 7-OH-related crises in the past month
• All incidents involved multiple substances alongside kratom-derived products, making sole attribution to kratom impossible without toxicology
• Concentrated 7-OH is sold in gas stations, convenience stores, and smoke shops as powders, tablets, gummies, and dissolvable strips
• DEA's 30-day notice period for 7-OH scheduling expired in early August 2026
• Sheriff King explicitly warned: 'Availability does not equal safety'
• The county has already experienced serious harm from fentanyl and methamphetamine; kratom products are appearing in the same crisis-response calls

What they say

"Our concern is heightened by the fact that concentrated 7-OH products with opioid-like effects can be purchased at ordinary retail locations or online. Consumers, parents and young people should understand that availability does not equal safety," wrote Clallam County Sheriff Brian King.

Bottom line

A Washington state sheriff's public warning about kratom and 7-OH crisis calls — products bought at gas stations and convenience stores — gives law enforcement's concrete ground-level view of the public safety stakes as federal scheduling approaches.