Legal “feel good” products are more powerful than morphine and highly addictive
By Andrew Harris
“Gas Station Drugs,” are still legal in NYS but harm prevention and law enforcement agencies throughout the nation are warning of a growing problem, and danger. According the the National Institutes for Health, 7-OH or 7-Hydroxymitragynine, comes from the a plant grown in Asia:
Mitragyna speciosa, more commonly known as kratom, is a plant native to Southeast Asia, the leaves of which have been used traditionally as a stimulant, analgesic, and treatment for opioid addiction. Recently, growing use of the plant in the United States and concerns that kratom represents an uncontrolled drug with potential abuse liability, have highlighted the need for more careful study of its pharmacological activity. The major active alkaloid found in kratom, mitragynine, has been reported to have opioid agonist and analgesic activity in vitro and in animal models, consistent with the purported effects of kratom leaf in humans.
Hornell Police have been visiting local retailers who sell Kratom which contains the compound known as 7-OH to ask them to remove the products from shelves. Some have complied but the products are widely available at retail locations throughout NYS. While still completely legal, the substances are not safe, highly addictive, unregulated, and easily accessible to young people.
Yesterday Hornell Chief of Police Ted Murray issued this statement:
More on this “gas station drug” and the dangers is presents from the Partnership to End Addiction:
