Often marketed as an “herbal” supplement, it’s frequently slipped into gummies, vape cartridges, and drinks, putting a possible opioid-strength high within easy reach of teens and unsuspecting adults – with virtually no oversight.

Gas station gummies with a deadly twist.

MORE NEWS: Detroit Uses Pandemic Relief Money To Provide Medical Aid To Homeless

The 7-OH chemical is derived from kratom, a plant the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has repeatedly warned consumers to avoid. Native to Southeast Asia, the kratom plant has been around for centuries as a natural stimulant. But this isn’t grandma’s herbal tea – 7-OH is a concentrated compound that can be brewed in a lab or chemically tweaked to be much stronger than even kratom’s main compound, mitragynine.

With reports of poisonings, seizures, and fatal overdoses tied to these products mounting, the FDA has warned that no kratom or 7-OH product is approved for dietary use. But that hasn’t stopped retail outlets and online shops from marketing them as “natural energy boosters” or “pain relief supplements.”

Federal crackdown on the horizon?

At the end of July, the FDA formally asked the Justice Department to classify 7-OH as a Schedule I controlled substance, a designation that would ban its sale and use and put it in the same legal class as heroin and LSD. Officials cite its high abuse potential, misleading labeling, and candy-like marketing as examples of reasons for action. Several states, including Florida and Texas, have already banned or restricted it after spikes in poisonings.

Michigan’s limited response.

Here in Michigan, kratom remains legal and there’s no state ban on 7-OH – meaning teens can stroll into a gas station and grab it, no questions asked – unless the retailer decides to require them to be of a certain age to purchase the product.

A proposed Kratom Consumer Protection Act in Michigan (HB 4061) aims to regulate kratom by requiring testing, warning labels, and a minimum purchase age of 21. Similarly, HB 5477 seeks to ensure kratom product safety and also sets a 21-year-old age limit for purchase. As of now, neither bill has been passed into law.

In May of this year, as we previously reported, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development issued an advisory in May warning against products with kratom or other psychoactive ingredients, calling them “unapproved” and “adulterated.” But without enforcement powers, it’s little more than a strongly worded letter.