This legal gas station opioid is ‘killing people,’ Doylestown man warns, urging regulation

A Doylestown resident is calling for the removal of a potent opioid product from the shelves of three local stores.

The product in question is 7-OH, and it is commonly sold in gas stations and vape shops, where teenagers and young adults can easily purchase the highly addictive substance, said Devin Refice. He’s a local business owner and recovery advocate who presented his concerns to borough officials during the public comment period of the borough council meeting Oct. 20.

“I’m very concerned about a new drug that is an epidemic within our streets,” he said of 7-OH, which comes in several forms, including pills, liquid extracts, drink mixes and gummies.

“It’s being sold at the Smok Shack right next to the school here and it’s being sold at the Exxon at the end of town. And it’s really easy to acquire. You can just walk in, and you can buy it.”

Marketed as an over-the-counter remedy for pain and anxiety, 7-OH has faced recent scrutiny from federal, state and local authorities raising questions over the safety of the product and its potential for abuse.

Since it’s not classified as a controlled substance, there are currently little to no mechanisms to regulate the sale and use of 7-OH products. Refice said that he knows the lack of federal regulation for 7-OH presents challenges on the local level, but added that he’d like to work with borough officials and law enforcement to limit the product’s accessibility, especially to underage children.

Being eight years sober and having dedicated the past several years working within the recovery community, Refice said his fears about 7-OH’s impact grew after seeing several friends and employees fall back into active addiction.

“It’s killing people. People are overdosing from it,” he said. “It is not fentanyl; it is not heroin. It is literally a pill in a shiny box called Perks that I can buy right up the street from here.

“This drug is literally in the borough, in our backyards. This is not a junkie drug or a drug addict drug. This is a drug your kids will buy after school because they think it will help them relax.”

Following his comments, several council members — along with Mayor Noni West, solicitor Andrew Griffin and Central Bucks Regional Police Chief Karl Knott — responded with matched concern, wanting to learn more about 7-OH and research if there are any legal avenues to locally ban the sale of the product.

“I appreciate very much your activism and your concern about this. And I think if there is a way for us to act, we would certainly be interested in considering what actions we can take, but we need more information,” council member Robert Kinney said.

Knott said local officers are aware of and working to address certain shops within the borough, including the Exxon along North Main Street, that have a history of selling age-restricted products, such as cigarettes, to underage children.

“We are working on some other investigative techniques and tools currently through our detective sergeant, who is trying to leverage more administrative sanctions against these places versus just us basically writing them a ticket, having them pay it and then there’s no repercussions after that, after multiple, multiple violations,” Knott said.

“So, we’re aware of it. We’re trying the best we can. But like Mr. Kinney said, if you could provide us with more information from your perspective and it’ll come down to my office, there’s absolutely a great chance to work together on this.”

What is 7-OH?

The 7-OH products are highly concentrated synthetic derivatives of 7-hydroxymitragynine, a powerful psychoactive compound that occurs naturally in small amounts in the kratom plant, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

In a July press release, the FDA expressed concern over 7-OH products designed in a way that may be appealing to children and teenagers, such as fruit-flavored gummies and ice cream cones. In addition, it said that these products aren’t always labeled clearly or accurately, and at times are disguised or marketed as kratom.

What’s the difference between 7-OH and kratom?

Kratom is the name for the entire plant ingredient, and 7-OH is a chemical byproduct of kratom.

Some products are made with the whole kratom plant, while others are formulated specifically with high concentrations of 7-OH. Products marketed with 7-OH tend to be stronger than kratom alone.

Is 7-OH legal in the U.S.?

It’s currently legal to manufacture, distribute and possess 7-OH products in the U.S.

But FDA officials may be working to change that. They launched a campaign over the summer to educate consumers and health care professionals about the product’s potential to fuel the country’s next opioid epidemic.

In a report issued in July, the FDA called 7-OH a “a potent opioid that poses an emerging public health threat.”

“The pharmacological profile, abuse liability, and emerging patterns of non-medical use establish 7-OH as a dangerous substance,” the report said. “Current regulatory gaps have enabled widespread availability of these products despite their opioid-like properties and necessitate immediate policy intervention to address this emerging threat to American public health.”

Additionally, FDA officials recommended that the Drug Enforcement Agency classify 7-OH as a schedule 1 controlled substance, which would make it illegal to manufacture, distribute or possess 7-OH products.