What Long Island Parents Should Know About Kratom and 7-OH
By Gordon Gooding, LCSW | Gooding Wellness Group
September is National Recovery Month, a time to talk honestly about substance use in our communities. As mental health professionals, we feel a responsibility to help inform the public about trends in substance use that parents need to be aware of.
Lately, there's been a substance marketed as a natural supplement, being sold in gas stations and smoke shops across Huntington, Northport, Syosset, and just about every town on Long Island. You've probably already seen it and had no idea what it was.
It's called kratom, and its concentrated derivative, 7-OH, has earned a nickname that should stop every parent in their tracks: "gas station heroin." We are seeing more individuals, including young people, struggling with it every week, and addiction professionals across Nassau and Suffolk County are starting to sound the alarm.
What Is Kratom?
Kratom is a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia. Its leaves contain compounds, primarily mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), that act on the same opioid receptors in the brain as prescription painkillers. At low doses, it acts like a stimulant. At higher doses, it acts like an opioid.
You'll find it sold as capsules, powders, teas, and small bottled "wellness shots," usually labeled as an herbal supplement for pain, anxiety relief, or energy. Some of the popular brands you may see are OPMS, Feel Free, 7Tabz, and Vivazen, but many different brands exist. Because it sits on a shelf next to the 5-Hour Energy shots, most people, especially teens and young adults, assume it's harmless.
It isn't. The FDA has repeatedly warned against kratom use, citing risks of dependence, liver toxicity, seizures, substance use disorder, and death. The FDA has never approved kratom for any medical purpose. While it is legal, this does not mean it is safe.
What Is 7-OH, and Why Is It Called "Gas Station Heroin"?
Here's where this gets urgent. 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) occurs naturally in kratom leaves, but only in tiny amounts. What's flooding store shelves now are concentrated, lab-made 7-OH products like tablets, shots, and gummies with levels of 7-OH far beyond anything found in the natural plant. At these concentrations, 7-OH acts like a powerful opioid. This is not a natural supplement.
The FDA has called concentrated 7-OH an "emerging public health threat." New York's Office of Addiction Services and Supports commissioner describes it as "way more intense than kratom itself." People who become dependent on 7-OH experience withdrawal symptoms comparable to other opioids, and like other opioids, 7-OH can be fatal in overdose.
These products are sold in packaging that resembles candy, energy drinks, and even bubblegum. That is not an accident. That's marketing, and it works on young people.
Is Kratom Like Weed, or Like an Opioid?
This is one of the most common points of confusion, so let's clear it up: kratom is not like THC or marijuana. It's an opioid-like substance. Kratom's active compounds don't interact with the brain's cannabinoid system at all. They bind to the same opioid receptors targeted by prescription painkillers like oxycodone, and by heroin.
The confusion is understandable. Kratom is sold in smoke shops right next to CBD gummies and vape products, so people mentally file it in the cannabis category. But chemically and in the brain, it belongs in the opioid category. That's why withdrawal from kratom looks like opioid withdrawal, why doctors treat 7-OH dependence with Suboxone (a prescription medication used to ease the symptoms of opioid withdrawal and reduce cravings), and why the FDA and DEA treat it as a serious concern rather than a wellness product.
One more surprise: botanically, the kratom tree is a member of the coffee family, which may help explain the next part.
Why Are People Using It and What Does the High Feel Like?
To help someone, it helps to understand honestly what's drawing them in. Kratom has a two-sided effect that depends on the dose:
At low doses, it acts like a stimulant. Users describe increased energy, alertness, focus, and sociability, something like very strong coffee. This is the version marketed to students, tradespeople, and anyone grinding through long days.
At higher doses, and with 7-OH products at almost any dose, it acts like an opioid. Users describe a warm, calm, euphoric wave: pain fades, anxiety quiets, everything softens. If that sounds like descriptions of prescription opioid effects, that's because it's working on the same brain receptors.
And that's exactly the trap. People aren't typically reaching for kratom to "get high" the way they might with other substances. They're reaching for it because it provides short term relief on real issues like:
Anxiety and stress relief. For someone with untreated anxiety, that opioid-receptor calm can feel like the first real relief they've found. Until it wears off and the anxiety often returns stronger.
Pain. Many adults start with kratom for chronic pain, believing it's a safer, natural alternative to painkillers. Until it wears off and the pain often feels like it has returned stronger.
Energy and focus. Students and young workers use low doses for a supercharged pre-workout or study aid. Using it in this way can lead to a dependence on it and a leave the user struggling to manage without it.
Sleep. Higher doses are used to shut a racing mind down at night.
Avoiding other opioids. Some people use kratom to self-treat opioid withdrawal or cravings, trading one opioid-receptor dependence for another, without medical support.
The problem is what comes next: tolerance builds, the dose creeps up, and the brain adapts the same way it does to any opioid. What started as "something natural for my anxiety" becomes a substance the body now demands, with flu-like withdrawal, rebound anxiety, and low mood when it's missing. The relief was borrowed, and the brain collects interest.
Why Younger People Are Turning to It
Talk to teens and young adults about kratom and 7-OH, and a clear picture emerges of why this generation in particular is vulnerable:
It doesn't feel like "doing drugs." There's no dealer, no paraphernalia, no smell. It's a shot bottle from the gas station that looks like an energy drink. The entire experience is designed to feel like buying a supplement.
"Natural" and "legal" read as "safe." Young people consistently rank legal, plant-based substances as low-risk. New York now bans "all-natural" marketing on kratom for exactly this reason, but years of that messaging have already shaped perceptions.
They're self-medicating an anxiety epidemic. This is the one we see most in our practice. We have discussed this in earlier blogs as well. Rates of anxiety in teens and young adults are historically high, and kratom quiets anxiety faster than therapy, and faster than healthy coping skills can be built. It's a shortcut with a hidden cost after the effects wear off.
It flies under the radar at home. Kratom doesn't smell like weed or alcohol and as we'll cover below, it doesn't show up on the drug tests most parents would think to use.
Social media and shelf marketing target them. Bright packaging, gummy formats, and names that sound like energy brands aren't aimed at 50-year-olds with back pain.
It's cheap and requires no connection. A few dollars and a store willing to look the other way on ID is all it takes.
Potency is a lottery. With no consistent quality standards, the same-looking product can vary wildly in strength and many young users have no idea whether they're getting leaf kratom or concentrated 7-OH.
The result is showing up in local treatment settings. Leaders in Long Island's addiction treatment community are seeing this pattern and sounding the same alarm.
"The rise in use and the misuse of kratom is another dimension of the substance abuse epidemic, as untreated individuals seek a new class of synthetic comforts for emotional pain and discomfort," said Steve Chassman, Vice President of Organizational Development at Wellbridge Addiction Treatment and Research in Calverton, Long Island.
"All mind- and mood-altering substances carry the potential for abuse and dependence. I think there are many individuals who are seeking emotional relief in alternate or 'organic' products. Regrettably, the potential for kratom's psychological and physical dependence is under-reported.
"Unfortunately, the public has been misled in the false belief that kratom is harmless in its use, until the grip of dependence befalls the user, both psychologically and physically," Chassman continued. "FDA-approved medicines for psychological issues are disseminated from qualified physicians, not gas stations."
Chassman stressed that healthy coping strategies are better learned and acquired with the assistance of licensed behavioral health professionals or through fellowships geared towards wellness.
Is Kratom Legal in New York?
The legality of Kratom relies heavily not only on what state you reside in, but also where in that state. A handful of states ban kratom entirely, and local governments, like Nassau County, can go further than their state. The map is changing month to month. Here's where things stand locally and federally:
New York State: Kratom is legal for adults 21 and over. In December 2025, Governor Hochul signed laws banning sales to anyone under 21. In addition, New York is now requiring full ingredient labeling and addiction warnings, and prohibiting companies from marketing kratom as "all natural." Local community leaders are hoping Governor Hochul will be signing a statewide ban that will be in effect sooner rather than later.
Statewide 7-OH Threshold: Lawmakers largely distinguish natural leaf kratom from concentrated 7-OH products. When a product's 7-OH content is boosted far beyond natural levels, regulators stop treating it as a botanical and start treating it as what it functionally is: a potent, lab-made opioid. In June 2026, the State Legislature unanimously passed a bill (S8925A) banning the sale of high-concentration 7-OH products.
Federal: Kratom is not a federally controlled substance, but in July 2026 the DEA announced its intent to temporarily schedule concentrated 7-OH products.
Nassau County: Went further than the state: in March 2026, Nassau passed a bipartisan ban on the sale and distribution of all kratom products, removing them from store shelves countywide.
Suffolk County: After public hearings that drew more than fifty speakers — doctors, law enforcement, parents, and members of the recovery community — Suffolk lawmakers voted unanimously in summer 2026 to place kratom under tighter regulation, though not the full ban Nassau enacted.
Notice the pattern: every level of government is moving on this at once. When Nassau banned kratom, one East Northport smoke shop reported over 300 people per week coming in for 7-OH, many of them new customers crossing over from Nassau. Bans in one county shift demand to the next. That's why awareness at home matters more than any law.
But If Kratom Is So Dangerous, Why Is It Legal At All?
If kratom acts like an opioid, the obvious question is: how is it on a gas station shelf at all? The answer is a regulatory gap, and understanding it explains almost everything about this issue.
Why it's legal in most places:
It fell through the cracks between agencies. Kratom is a plant, sold as an herbal product. The FDA has never approved it as a drug, supplement, or food additive, but the FDA's enforcement powers over botanical products sold this way are limited and slow. So products reach shelves without ever being tested for safety, purity, or potency.
The DEA tried to ban it and then backed down. In 2016, the DEA moved to classify kratom as a Schedule I controlled substance alongside heroin. A massive public backlash followed, led by consumers who credited kratom with managing chronic pain or getting off prescription opioids. The DEA withdrew the proposal and has listed kratom as a "drug of concern." Ever since it has been monitored, but not scheduled.
No federal rule means a state patchwork. With Washington on the sidelines, every state, and even individual counties, as we're seeing on Long Island, makes its own call. That's how the same bottle can be a banned substance in Nassau County and a legal purchase one town over in Suffolk County.
Here's the takeaway for parents: kratom isn't legal because anyone reviewed it and decided it was safe. It's legal because no one with the authority to fully regulate it has finished the job yet and the law is now racing to catch up with what's already on the shelves.
The Drug Test Blind Spot: Why Kratom Is So Hard to Catch
Here's something most parents and professionals don't know: kratom does not
show up on standard drug tests. Not the home test kits sold at the pharmacy. Not the typical 5- or 10-panel urine screens used by schools, employers, pediatricians, and most treatment programs.
The reason is chemical. Kratom's compounds are structurally different from morphine, oxycodone, and other classic opioids, so the standard opiate panel simply doesn't recognize them, even though they act on the same brain receptors. Detecting mitragynine or 7-OH requires a specialized lab test that has to be specifically ordered, and it's significantly more expensive than routine screening. Historically, most treatment centers haven't tested for it at all.
This blind spot creates real problems on both ends of the recovery process:
For families, a "clean" test can be false reassurance. A parent who suspects something, buys a home drug test, and gets a negative result may conclude everything is fine, while opioid-receptor dependence quietly deepens. If your gut says something is off but the test says clean, kratom belongs on your radar.
For treatment, it's become a known workaround. Colleagues in the addiction field here on Long Island describe a pattern treatment providers are now confronting nationwide: people in recovery programs who want to keep using discover that kratom or 7-OH lets them stay on an opioid-receptor substance while passing every routine screen. On paper, they're sober. Neurologically, the dependence cycle never stopped, which helps explain why some people struggle in programs that appear to be going well.
It delays honest treatment planning. When use goes undetected, clinicians are working with an incomplete picture. Withdrawal symptoms get misread as anxiety or depression, medication decisions are made without key information, and the underlying dependence goes unaddressed.
What can families do with this? Two things. First, don't outsource your judgment to a test kit. Behavior changes, withdrawal symptoms, and the warning signs we will discuss below tell you more than a standard panel can. Second, if a loved one is entering treatment and kratom or 7-OH use is possible, ask the provider directly whether they screen for mitragynine, more programs are adding it as awareness grows, but many still only test when someone asks.
Warning Signs Parents Can Watch For
Kratom dependence can look like a lot of things, but here's what parents and caregivers should pay attention to:
Small bottles, colorful shot containers, capsules, or green powder among their things, often with brand names that sound like energy drinks or supplements.
Frequent trips to smoke shops, vape shops, or gas stations.
Flu-like symptoms that come and go like nausea, sweating, chills, body aches (these can signal withdrawal between uses).
Mood swings, irritability, anxiety, or agitation that improves suddenly after they've been out.
Changes in sleep, appetite, or energy that don't have another explanation.
Needing more of it, hiding it, or getting defensive when it comes up.
None of these alone proves anything. Together, they're a conversation worth having.
How to Talk to Your Teen or Young Adult About Kratom
Lead with curiosity, not accusation. "Have you heard about this stuff being sold at the gas station?" opens more doors than "Are you using drugs?" Many young people genuinely believe kratom is a safe herbal supplement because that's exactly how it's marketed to them.
Focus on the facts, not fear. The most useful fact: concentrated 7-OH acts on the brain like an opioid. Withdrawal is real, documented, and severe enough that hospitals treat it the way they treat opioid withdrawal. "Legal" and "natural" say nothing about safety.
Ask what it's doing for them. If your child is using kratom for anxiety, sleep, or stress, the substance isn't the whole story, the struggle underneath it is. That struggle is treatable, with approaches that don't create dependence.
Don't wait for a crisis. Dependence on kratom and 7-OH builds gradually. The earlier the conversation, and if needed, professional support, the easier the path back.
Getting Help Here on Long Island
If you're concerned about your child's or your own use of kratom, 7-OH, or any substance, you don't have to figure this out alone. At Gooding Wellness Group, our therapists work with teens, young adults, and families across Huntington, Cold Spring Harbor, Northport, Oyster Bay, Syosset, and throughout Long Island, in person and via teletherapy anywhere in New York State. We help families address the anxiety, stress, and pain that so often sit underneath substance use, and we coordinate with medical and addiction treatment providers when a higher level of care is needed.
This National Recovery Month, the most powerful thing you can do is start the conversation. Call or text us and we'll help you figure out the right next step.
Written by Gordon Gooding, LCSW
Gooding Wellness Group
147 Main Street, Cold Spring Harbor, NY
Text: 631-742-1229
Email: info@goodingwellness.com
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