Over the last few years, the kratom plant and supplements made from it have garnered increasing attention from public health leaders. This broad category of products, which largely skirts any regulation, has seen major surges in potency, while becoming omnipresent on smoke shop and gas station shelves. Health officials have warned that concentrated compounds like 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) are an emerging public health threat, and federal policies to limit their availability are pending. In the meantime, multiple states and smaller localities have issued emergency bans on 7-OH, and in some cases, on all kratom products.
Despite the messaging and rising use, few Americans are familiar with kratom or the newer derivative products. They’re made with compounds that have scientific names like 7-OH, mitragynine pseudoindoxyl (MGPI) and dihydro-7-hydroxy mitragynine (MGM-15) but are often sold on shelves with names like Dozo Perks, Roxy, and UltraOhmz Pseudo Supreme. New survey data from the Annenberg Public Policy Center show about two-thirds (66%) of Americans have never heard of kratom. Among those who had at least some familiarity, few understood the difference between its natural leaf form and more synthetic products.
