Los Angeles County health officials issued a warning to the public on Friday due to a number of overdose deaths connected to a synthetic kratom compound.
The compound, known as 7-Hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, has recently been connected to three different fatal overdoses in county residents between 18 and 40 years old, said a statement from Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials.
Mary Esch / AP 
They noted that alcohol was also present in each of the cases, and that the decedents were considered otherwise healthy. The Los Angeles Medical Examiner also detailed that there were no other substances identified that contributed to the individuals’ deaths.
“Kratom and 7-OH products are unregulated and marketed as remedies for pain, anxiety, and depression,” said LADPH’s release. “They are made from the leaves of a tree (Mitragyna speciosa) native to Southeast Asia that are crushed and then smoked, brewed with tea, or placed into gel capsules.”
Read more: Popular supplement kratom faces scrutiny over addiction concerns: “It’s ruining people’s lives”
Officials said that 7-OH is the psychoactive component of kratom leaves, and that it is being synthetically concentrated into a variety of items being sold in gas stations, smoke shops and other retail or online venues across LA County. They noted that the products are sometimes promoted as dietary supplements that address issues like pain, anxiety, mood disorders and opioid withdrawal.
“These products come in various forms such as tablets, gummies, drink mixes, and concentrated (“enhanced” or “super”) liquid extracts or shots for drinking, which significantly increase its adverse and potentially life-threatening effects,” said the news release.
They said that the products typically come labeled with terms like “plant alkaloids” or “alkaloid.”
At low doses, officials said that 7-OH can have stimulant-like effects. At higher doses, it can have opioid-like effects.
“High doses of 7-OH and/or co-used with alcohol or other sedatives can cause severe respiratory depression and death,” officials said. “Again, they are unregulated and may contain unknown concentrations of 7-OH, increasing the risk of unintentional overdose.”
The Federal Drug Administration issued warning letters to multiple firms for illegal marketing of concentrated 7-OH products in July 2025. At the time, they shared product images that said, “7-OH is not lawful in dietary supplements and cannot be lawfully added to conventional foods. “Additionally, there are no FDA-approved drugs containing 7-OH, and it is illegal to market any drugs containing 7-OH. Consumers who use 7-OH products are exposing themselves to products that have not been proven safe or effective for any use.”
Residents are urged to consider using 7-OH or kratom products, and public health officials offered a list of tips to help minimize the potential for overdose or overdose-related deaths connected to drugs. Among those tips were: never using drugs alone, stagger drug use with others, avoid mixing 7-OH with other drugs and carry naloxone.
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