ORLANDO, Fla — A substance once found next to vape pens and tobacco products on store shelves across Central Florida is now officially banned.
The compound, called 7-hydroxymitragynine, commonly referred to as 7-OH, is a synthetic and concentrated derivative of the kratom plant. Florida health officials say it’s dangerous and potentially deadly.
For Heather Sprankle, the fight to ban the substance is personal.
“I started to recognize there was something altering with his mindset and his central nervous system… something very off,” she said. “You wouldn’t naturally blame that on organic tea, but that’s when it all started to unravel.”
Heather’s younger brother began using kratom daily after trying to recover from an opioid addiction. Last year, she shared a video with Channel 9 of him pouring kratom powder, typically brewed into teA straight into his mouth.
Her older brother died from an overdose, which she believes was linked to kratom use. Despite that tragedy, her younger brother continued using the drug.
Sprankle says she’s relieved the state is taking action. “I’m so thrilled. That’s an understatement,” she said. “I just hope it doesn’t end there… It shouldn’t be something available to the average person without regulation.”
The ban was enforced by the Florida Department of Health earlier this month. Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo called the compound “absolutely addictive” and warned, “It will kill people.”
But not everyone agrees.
Advocates for kratom say there’s no clear evidence linking 7-OH to fatalities. “There have been over 100 million servings of 7-OH in Florida alone — no deaths attributed to it,” said Dr. Jeff Smith with the Holistic Alternative Recovery Trust.
While the ban on 7-OH is a major step, she believes the larger issue, the lack of regulation surrounding kratom, still needs urgent attention.
“My story could easily be someone else’s tomorrow,” she said. “We need more oversight before it’s too late.”
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