7-OH: Kratom alkaloid sparks debate at CHAMPS trade show

DENVER — On Sept. 24, I attended a trade show to interview exhibitors about an alkaloid of kratom that a major producer previously told me represents a safe alternative for people who suffer from opioid addiction: 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH).

The CHAMPS trade show is otherwise known as “The premier counterculture B2B expo since 1999.”

After entering the trade show floor and my request for an interview with one 7-OH company was denied — a hazard of the profession — I spoke with Adrian Campa, regional director of sales for FS Distribution, a wholesale kratom company in Meridian, Idaho. His company sells kratom leaf from Indonesia.

I was interested in what Campa had to say about 7-OH.

“Everyone asks us about it. We’re not doing that,” he responded. “We’re staying away from that. I think it’s dangerous.”

The kratom sales executive added, “We’re not getting into the synthetics and we’re not getting into the 7-hydroxy because it’s expensive for one if you do it the right way. And two, people don’t know enough about it, in our opinion.”

Campa then went on to explain the myriad benefits of whole leaf kratom, including relief of pain in the joints, energy as a pre-workout product and sedation to help with sleep. Others, he added, turn to kratom “to get off opioids.”

Related:Vince Sanders of CBD American Shaman defends 7-OH products

“Kratom really helps people come off of opioids, but then when they build a certain tolerance, they go, ‘I might need something stronger, so [7-OH] is a way to get what they’re looking for,’” explained Andrew Weber, vice president of sales and new business development with Modus Brand, whose products include 7-OH shots, gummies and capsules. While exhibiting at CHAMPS, he described demand as “crazy” for 7-OH products that can help mitigate discomfort and pain and had been introduced six months earlier.

I asked Weber about any adverse effects from the products, and he said he wasn’t aware of any negative feedback.

“In our shot that contains 3 servings, some people do not read directions, and they might take the whole bottle,” he shared, “and I think the adverse reactions come when people don’t follow the guidelines.”

Andrew Weber of Modus Brand (above) displays 7-OH products at the CHAMPS trade show in Denver on Sept. 24, 2024.

Among the other professionals I met at CHAMPS: Brittany Warner, who identified herself as director of marketing for the 7-OHMZ brand. According to Warner, only a few booths were displaying 7-OH products during a trade show in February, but by the July CHAMPS show in Las Vegas, “everybody had it.”

Related:Kratom groups, researchers sound alarm over 7-hydroxymitragynine products

She characterized 7-OH as “very disruptive” to the kratom market.

“It’s new,” Warner said. “Somebody built a better mouse trap.”

Is she worried about the uncertain regulatory environment hanging over 7-OH and the possibility of regulators cracking down on 7-OH products?

“Not really,” Warner replied, explaining she’s worked in various product areas in the gray market over the last decade including CBD, hemp and e-liquids, and “everything is going to be regulated at some point.”

“As long as us as an industry are responsible enough to … make our own regulations as we go along, I think that’s how we win,” she added later in the interview. “We don’t market to children. We don’t claim that [7-OH] does this, that or the other … But there’s going to be regulations no matter what we do.”

Austin Richards, key account manager with Koi CBD, told me at CHAMPS that his company wants to confirm 7-OH “is a safe alternative before we jump right into it.”

“I haven’t really enjoyed the pitch conversations from a lot of people about it,” he said.

Dana Saye, senior sales executive with Pure Infinity Botanicals, whose products include kratom/kava extracts, said she’s not a “big fan” of 7-OH.

“We’ve decided to opt out of that trend mainly because we don’t know how it’s going to affect people long term,” she said. “There haven’t really been any studies on it. We know that it’s an isolate.”

There’s no evidence that 7-OH will harm consumers, she suggested, “but we also don’t know that it won’t.”

“Maybe [7-OH] itself isn’t the devil that we try to make it out to be,” Saye added, “but some of these companies legitimately are cornering the addict market.”

Dana Saye (above) of Pure Infinity Botanicals is among the kratom professionals who have expressed concerns about 7-OH products.

Vince Sanders of CBD American Shaman suggested to me in a phone interview over the summer that critics of 7-OH are seeking to protect the traditional market for kratom leaf and kratom extracts.

“Traditional kratom people see a technological advancement that they can’t achieve, and they’re terrified this is going to end their business,” he said. “This is buggy manufacturers trying to stop cars. This is traditional telephone providers that don’t want to give up the phone plugged into the wall against a cell phone provider. Technology moves and industries go away.”