Kratom vs. Gas Station Heroin
For years we've seen Kratom products on the convenience store counters of our more rural areas here in Washington but recently - and it might be anecdotal for me here in Seattle - we're seeing it pop-up in our dry bottle shops and boutique "lifestyle" beverage stores as well. Some recent pieces in the San Francisco Chronicle and other publications have raised the alarm when comes to both Kratom products and those derived from 7-OH (or what we call "gas station heroin"). Having access to synth drugs at the convenience store isn't a new concept. I remember back in 2007ish when I lived in North Carolina, many of the gas stations in my neighborhood sold Spice or some other synth drug right next to the hangover cures, Doublemint Gum, and snake oil ED pills. What's important to note here is that these products are mostly unregulated and the labels shouldn't even be trusted. Here's a great piece in the Free Press about the battle between the Kratom lobby and the 7-OH lobby for market share and the noise obscuring the potential health effects of each. Roadside convenience doesn't equal roadside safety.
