Arizona AG sounds alarm: Gas‑station ‘natural’ supplements may hide opioids
By Don Davis
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ARIZONA (KGUN) — Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes issued a consumer alert warning that products marketed as kratom or “all‑natural” supplements and sold at gas stations, smoke shops and convenience stores across the state often contain highly concentrated synthetic opioids — including 7‑hydroxymitragynine — and can behave like heroin or morphine.
“These products are really dangerous and basically act like synthetic opioids, and I have already heard from parents whose kids have become addicted to these products sold over the counter across the state,” Mayes said in the announcement. She said some items are being marketed with slang names such as “legal morphine” or “gas station heroin,” and called out brightly colored gummies and candies that appear aimed at teens and young adults.
Arizona was an early adopter of kratom regulation with the Kratom Consumer Protection Act, which bars adulterated products, bans synthetic alkaloids (including synthetic mitragynine and synthetic 7‑hydroxymitragynine) and requires labels to list amounts of mitragynine and 7‑hydroxymitragynine. The law also prohibits sales to anyone under 18 and caps 7‑hydroxymitragynine at no more than 2 percent of a product’s alkaloid composition.
But Mayes said the statute has proven difficult to enforce. Determining whether a product is adulterated or injurious often requires sophisticated laboratory testing and expert testimony — resources most local law enforcement agencies don’t routinely have for misdemeanor cases. “In its current form, Arizona’s kratom law asks prosecutors to clear a high bar just to prove a misdemeanor,” she said.
To address those enforcement gaps, Mayes said she will work with lawmakers when the Legislature meets in January to strengthen the law and give police clearer, more practical tools. She said she will seek bipartisan support to tighten protections and increase penalties for those who sell these products to minors.
The Attorney General’s office urged consumers to be skeptical of products promising quick fixes for pain, anxiety, focus or energy — particularly items labeled vaguely as “all natural,” “dietary supplement,” “kratom blend,” or explicitly as “7‑OH.” Mayes advised avoiding brightly colored candy‑style products, any item boasting “extra strength,” “ultra” or “max” effects without clear ingredient listings, and products sold in nontraditional outlets like gas stations.
Anyone who experiences an adverse reaction after using a kratom or 7‑OH product should seek medical help immediately.
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