Published: 12/3/2025 | Author: Terri

A recent report from Kansas City, Missouri details the advent of a new addictive compound derived from Kratom that may signal the next wave of the opioid crisis.

The story focuses on Madison Mcmanness, a 25 year old Kansas City resident, who relayed details of her experience with 7-hydroxymitragynine (or 7-OH for short) against the backdrop of her history of substance use and recovery.

A Dependency That Rapidly Takes Hold

Madison had been through rehab in the past for an addiction to heroin and had been sober for six and a half years when her friend suggested 7-OH to help with anxiety. 

She describes the feeling of the first dose of this compound as akin to that of her first time using heroin. After this first dose wore off, she states that powerful physical cravings took hold, prompting daily use for six months.

Knowing how a compound that’s unregulated in many states has this type of effect is the key to understanding why it should be regulated. 7-OH is a potent, psychoactive compound that can be drawn out of the naturally occurring kratom leaf. On its own, 7-OH can have a very similar effect on the brain as opioids. 

For this reason, the FDA has been working to amend current regulations to reclassify kratom and kratom derivatives as Schedule 1 drugs. Even while kratom is regulated in the District of Columbia and 24 other states, it remains unregulated in Kansas and Missouri while their legislatures work on updating the current regulatory framework.

Madison’s Road to Recovery

Mcmanness’s dependency on this new drug progressed so far and so fast that she ended up spending $13,000 on the drug alone in those first six months. What was most surprising to her was that she ended up having to return to rehab for something that was legal in her state.

Detoxing from 7-OH was tough, described by Madison as feeling like everything was burning while she lay in the detox unit. She rounds out her account by saying that she doesn’t want herself or anyone else to go through it, and that this could be the next frontier of the opioid crisis.

Finding Help

As Madison’s story illustrates, a drug doesn’t have to be FDA-regulated to be addictive and unsafe. No matter the substance, if you’re physically dependent, the quality of your life is less than it could and should be. 

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Help is available and recovery is real. Find an NA meeting near you or call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) for immediate support.