No prescription is required. The products are virtually unregulated: Bills to curb their sale [4] have repeatedly died in Tallahassee. State and federal regulators have done almost nothing to intervene.
Scientists say the substance, called 7-hydroxymitragynine or 7-OH, poses a public health threat. The potent chemical is found in low quantities in the kratom [5] plant, and a few 7-hydroxymitragynine products evoke the herb in their packaging.
But they’re far stronger than kratom leaf — and far more dangerous, experts say.