Michigan Doctors Warn: 7-OH Products Sold Next to Gum With No Warning Labels as Ban Bill Advances

Why it matters

Michigan healthcare providers are documenting a clinical surge in 7-OH addiction and overdoses, lending medical credibility to the legislative push for a statewide kratom ban while also highlighting the complicated calculus for patients using kratom as an opioid substitute.

The big picture

Michigan's bipartisan HB5537 would make growing or selling kratom a misdemeanor. As the bill advances, healthcare professionals are reporting an increase in patients presenting with 7-OH withdrawal and overdose -- raising questions about whether the right regulatory approach is a full ban or a more targeted crackdown on concentrated synthetic derivatives.

Key findings

• Matthew Eller, 22, died in 2021 from toxic levels of mitragynine with no other drugs or underlying conditions on his toxicology report
• University of Michigan Dr. Eliza Hutchinson says isolated 7-OH acts like fentanyl or heroin at the brain's opioid receptors
• Hutchinson reports a rising number of patients presenting with 7-OH withdrawal and overdoses in clinical settings
• House Bill 5537 would make growing or selling kratom in Michigan a misdemeanor; selling to a minor carries up to one year in jail
• The bill has been referred to the state House Committee on Regulatory Reform
• Some patients use kratom to manage prescription opioid withdrawal, complicating the case for a total ban

What they say

"These products are sitting next to a pack of gum in the gas station and without much labeling that actually explains the risk associated with them." -- Dr. Eliza Hutchinson, Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, University of Michigan

Bottom line

Michigan doctors are documenting a surge in 7-OH-related addiction and overdoses, adding clinical urgency to a bipartisan ban bill even as some patients report using kratom to escape opioids.