California Health Agencies Seizing Legal 7-OH and Kratom Products, Putting Lives at Risk

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Non-profit condemns actions of California regulators who are acting on misinformation without evidence, creating a public health crisis

7-HOPE Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to science and public education on 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), today condemned recent actions by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and Los Angeles County health officials, who have begun red-tagging, seizing, and embargoing 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) and kratom products, despite no state or federal law banning them. Advocates warn that this unlawful government overreach is creating fear and confusion, and denies consumers access to a harm-reduction tool they rely on to manage their daily lives.

Key Highlights

• California health agencies are red-tagging, seizing, and embargoing legal 7-OH and kratom products despite lacking any authority to do so.
• LA County has provided no solid evidence that 7-OH caused the reported deaths; medical examiner reports show excessive alcohol and polydrug use and do not list 7-OH as the primary cause.
• Instead of echoing fear campaigns from federal agencies whose credibility are under fire, California health officials should focus on evidence and develop clear consumer safety guidelines that actually protect Californians.

Last month, Los Angeles County issued a press release linking three tragic deaths to 7-OH. Yet weeks later, the County has failed to produce evidence that 7-OH caused these deaths. The County’s own medical examiner reports show multiple substances, including excessive alcohol, and do not list 7-OH as the cause of death. Officials have also refused to publicly release toxicology levels or product packaging that could confirm what substances were involved.

“This is government overreach at its worst,” said Jackie Subeck, founder of 7-HOPE Alliance. “When the FDA is already under fire from both Democrats and Republicans for politicizing science, from vaccines to dietary supplements, it’s reckless for California to take cues from them without peer-reviewed evidence and taking action that will put lives at risk.”

While this overreach by the government is alone concerning, dozens of experts recently came out against bans, sounding the alarm that these actions are putting lives at risk:

• Doctors for Drug Policy Reform: “Banning 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) will predictably endanger public health by pushing individuals toward unregulated products of unknown potency and possible contamination.”
• Dr. Kirsten Smith, Johns Hopkins University: “There is not sufficient scientific information or data to meet the criteria for scheduling…people will find something else to use if this is banned and those alternatives may be more harmful than 7-OH.”
• Dr. Jeffrey Singer, Cato Institute (USA Today): “The choice is clear: Either let 7-OH fall into the hands of cartels or regulate it to reduce harm. America doesn’t need another fentanyl crisis, especially one caused by our own actions.”
• Grunt Style Foundation (Veterans): “Taking 7-OH off the legal market doesn’t make veterans safer.”

California health departments are acting as if a ban on 7-OH already exists. It does not. Their seizures and red tags are leaving patients and consumers without access to a product that, for many, is the only safe option.

7-HOPE Alliance is calling on California health agencies to:

• Stop unlawful embargoes and seizures of legal products.
• Provide transparent evidence to back up public claims.
• Develop consumer safety guidelines instead of rushing toward prohibition, which will only push consumers to unsafe markets

“Policymakers across the spectrum have questioned whether the current FDA can be trusted to put science over politics,” added Subeck. “Californians deserve the medical freedoms that they were promised. Not fear campaigns and knee-jerk bans.”

Media Contact

7-HOPE Alliance

[email protected]

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SOURCE: 7-HOPE Alliance

https://app.eznewswire.com/news/california-health-agencies-seizing-legal-7oh-kratom