Addiction counselors and behavioral health clinicians have been paying close attention to a new tre...
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“Gas station heroin”, a form of Isolated, semi-synthetic 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) kratom extract, has caught the attention of the drug treatment industry and medical community. These products first emerged on U.S. smoke shop counters and online markets in early 2024, later appearing in gas stations and convenience stores across the country. People buy the exacts in various forms, hoping it will help them with aches, pains, depression, anxiety and even symptoms of addiction. Unfortunately, research is showing that kratom is a drug, not a cure-all, and extracts formed from kratom, (7-OH) . are highly potent, and as addictive as other opioids
7-OH products are sold as highly potent, easy-to-consume concentrated chewable tablets, flavored shots, and strips on convenience stores and gas stations. Treatment centers are recieving patients that are addicted to these products and the withdrawal is true to the name “gas station heroin”.
Like others addicted to opioids, kratom users describe crippling dependence and withdrawal symptoms. Going too long without a dose means suffering debilitating, classic opioid withdrawals that require emergency clinical interventions like buprenorphine. Many users don’t yet know that this is an option, and can build a tolerance that makes them more likely overdose.
What is changing right now is the scientific understanding of how these isolated extracts behave inside the human body, and why new medical research is sounding the alarm on their extreme addiction risks.
While raw kratom powder has been used for years, many users have described mild withdrawal symptoms. It’s still considered addictive but it’s nowhere near as strong as kratom extract.
Scientists have long known that kratom contains active compounds called alkaloids, primarily mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH). However, updated research published by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) clarifies how and why these strong compounds are highly addictive, even as they remain largely unregulated.
Mitragynine and 7-OH attach directly to mu-opioid receptors in the brain. These are the same biological pathways activated by prescription painkillers like fentanyl or heroin. and illicit drugs like heroin.
Research highlighted by Pharmacy Times found that raw mitragynine acts as a complex partial agonist. Its concentrated byproduct, 7-OH, acts as a full, classical opioid. Laboratory binding studies completed in 2024 and expanded in 2025 revealed that isolated 7-OH binds to mu-opioid receptors with 10 to 13 times greater potency than morphine. Highly processed extracts interact with the human brain as potent, direct opioids, causing the same addiction and withdrawal symptoms.
Many people who consume the extracts are drawn to convenience store displays claiming that these are simply “stronger herbal remedies.” Calling them herbal remedies is a way to avoid regulation, but this loophole isn’t going to last now that treatment centers are seeing more and more addicted clients, and the science shows that these extracts are, indeed, drugs.
The U.S. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) explicitly warns that concentrated kratom extract compounds meet the scientific definition of opioids due to their binding mechanics and biological effects. Regulators are updating their guidance based on new research, but it has not yet been completely outlawed by any federal acts.
Marketing may claim that highly concentrated kratom extract is a “safe, non-addictive” substitute for prescription opioids. This is not true and remains unproven and unsupported by clinical trials.
Websites and postings online saying store-bought extracts can reliably “cure” drug addiction without medical supervision are often posted by the drug makers themselves.
Replacing one habit-forming opioid with another is still an addiction, Medication-Assisted Treatment like buprenorphine, alongside talk therapy, is still considered the gold standard of treatment for opioid use disorder.
The media nickname “gas station heroin” was originally coined to describe tianeptine, an unregulated, over-the-counter substance that acts similar to opioid that also causes rapid addiction. Today, toxicologists and public health officials group ultra-concentrated 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) kratom extracts into that exact same category.
Natural kratom leaves contain only trace amounts of 7-OH (typically less than 2% of the plant’s alkaloid profile). Drug makers are clever, however, and always find new way to make money. Unscrupulous manufacturers now put out 7-OH concentrations up to 98% purity, turning a mild plant product into a concentrated drug that’s stronger than morphine.
Regulation often works slowly when a new street drug gains attention. Federal reports have classified concentrated 7-OH as an emerging novel opioid threat, highlighting federal seizures of illicit 7-OH products targeted at younger buyers.
Initial testing has shown it is highly addictive, to the point that animal behavior trials detailed by international addiction researchers through ISSUP demonstrate that concentrated 7-OH substitutes directly for morphine in self-administration trials, driving rapid compulsive re-dosing, just like they would do with heroin.
When physical dependence sets in, stopping kratom extract use triggers classic opioid withdrawal, including severe muscle aches, joint pain, uncontrollable tremors, debilitating insomnia, panic, and intense drug cravings.
Because of this, addiction recovery specialists now routinely treat patients struggling with 7-OH kratom extract dependence using standard, evidence-based medications like buprenorphine. This is the same protocol used for prescription opioid recovery.
Because products sold under the “gas station heroin” umbrella operate in an unregulated market, packaging rarely reflects true chemical strength. Testing by independent labs and government agencies continues to find drastic variations in potency from bottle to bottle, and contamination with heavy metals like lead and dangerous bacteria.
While kratom itself is not a new topic, the science published over the past two years is now clear on high-potency extracts. Using kratom in any form can be dangerous, as it has proven to be addictive both in its raw and concentrated form.
People who are seeking help for kratom use can use the same pathways as other addicted people, with treatment and MAT helping guide the way to a sober, stable life. Recovery and a new way of life is possible for anyone with addiction, one day at a time.
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