WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. – A legal substance sold in some smoke shops, vape stores, and gas stations across Michigan is raising major concerns among addiction specialists, who say the drug can trigger addiction within days.
The substance is called 7-OH, short for 7-hydroxymitragynine, a potent kratom derivative that doctors say is becoming increasingly common among patients seeking treatment.
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At the Henry Ford Health Maple Grove Recovery Center in West Bloomfield, addiction medicine physician Dr. Joshua Smith said the rise in cases has been dramatic.
“Over the last year or so, we went from having virtually no patients coming in for this to having about 20% of our unit at any given time addicted to 7-Hydroxy,” Smith said.
One recovering user, identified only as Chris because he fears public exposure could jeopardize his career, said the withdrawals were unlike anything he had experienced before.
“It was the worst thing I’ve ever dealt with as far as like withdrawals from any type of drugs,” Chris said.
Chris said he had been sober from heroin and other opioids for more than seven years before being introduced to 7-OH while recovering from severe pain after a hospital stay.
Wanting to avoid prescription narcotics, he took a recommendation from a smoke shop employee.
“I just went to my regular smoke shop,” Chris said. “So, I got kind of a talk and talk relationship with him, and just in talking, I was like, man, my side is really killing me today. And he said, “Well, have you ever tried this? And it just so happened to be 7-OH.”
Chris said the effects came quickly.
“And within five, 10 minutes, I felt it,” Chris said. “And it was as close to heroin as I’ve ever felt.”
What shocked him even more, he said, was how quickly the addiction developed.
“It took about three to four days,” Chris said, referring to how quickly withdrawal symptoms set in. “I woke up in the middle of the night and had to change my clothes, and I was in so much pain.”
Smith said the products are often marketed as natural supplements and are widely available throughout Michigan in tablet, drink, and powder forms sold in convenience stores, smoke shops, and gas stations.
Currently, there are no statewide restrictions preventing adults from purchasing 7-OH products in Michigan.
“Between 2015 and 2025, the use of kratom overall went up like 1600%,” Smith said. “But specifically, from 2024 to 2025, it doubled. I mean, it went way up in one year, which was the same year roughly that all these seven hydroxy products hit the market.”
Chris said he spent months trying unsuccessfully to quit on his own.
“I tried to detox myself like six different times and just could not do it,” Chris said. “I finally had to seek treatment because there was no way I was gonna be able to detox by myself.”
Now in outpatient recovery, Chris said he hopes others understand how quickly dependency can happen.
“If you take it three days in a row, like you’re going to pay for it without a doubt,” Chris said. “Cause the addiction happens that fast. So fast, so fast. It’s unreal how fast it happens.”
Smith said most standard drug tests do not screen for kratom or 7-OH, making the true scope of addiction difficult to measure.
Because the substance remains legal, he said, tracking overdoses and addiction cases is also challenging. Efforts are underway in Michigan to regulate the drug.
House Bill 4969 would ban synthetic 7-OH products, require labeling and testing, and restrict sales to people 21 and older.
The bill has passed the Michigan House and is now headed to the Senate.