Grieving Texas mom fights to ban drug feds call 'gas station heroin'

Key Points:

• Rae Heath's 19-year-old son, Jonas, died from toxicity linked to 7-Hydromitragynine (7-OH), a potent synthetic derivative of kratom, highlighting the dangers of "gas station heroin" products sold near cash registers.
• The Texas Department of State Health Services reported a sharp increase in kratom and 7-OH-related deaths, from 14 in 2017 to 114 in 2023, with 111 deaths already recorded in 2024.
• 7-OH is up to 13 times more potent than morphine, highly addictive, and requires multiple doses of Narcan for overdose reversal, making it a new wave in the opioid epidemic.
• Rae Heath has launched the 7-OH Truth Project and is advocating for "Jonas's Law," a bill to criminalize kratom extracts and synthetic 7-OH as Schedule I substances in Texas, aiming to prevent further fatalities.
• Other states like California have successfully reduced 7-OH overdoses through targeted enforcement and product removal, a strategy Texas officials and advocates hope to emulate amid growing federal action to classify 7-OH as a Schedule I drug.