Kootenai County officials warn of synthetic “7‑OH” in kratom-like products; commissioner outlines draft ordinance

Kootenai County’s sheriff and coroner urged local action on Tuesday night after describing a recent rise in severe medical cases tied to kratom-related products adulterated with the synthetic opioid 7‑hydroxymitragynine, commonly called 7‑OH. County Commissioner Leslie Duncan said she will seek to bring a draft ordinance forward that would ban products the county deems "adulterated" and limit natural leaf kratom sales to people 21 and older in unincorporated areas.

At the public safety town hall, the sheriff said the county is hearing frequent reports from families and clinicians. "My child, my brother, has been using this 7‑OH for about 6 weeks, and he's a different person," the sheriff said, describing job loss, relationship breakdown and opioid‑like symptoms he attributed to the substance and to products marketed to younger consumers.

Dr. Duke Johnson, the county coroner, said the office has added a rapid toxicology machine and described patterns his office and published poison‑center analyses have reported. He characterized some adulterated products as "gas station heroin," said 7‑hydroxy occurs naturally at about 2 percent in the plant but can be chemically concentrated in some commercial products, and cited a figure from his presentation that 7‑OH can be about "13 times more powerful than morphine." He cited a national poison‑center analysis that reported 8,919 kratom exposures and said roughly 13% of exposures resulted in severe medical outcomes and 34% required hospitalization.

Commissioner Leslie Duncan outlined the key provisions of a draft six‑page county ordinance she said she is prepared to bring to the Board of County Commissioners. Her draft would define "adulterated kratom products" to include: items that contain synthesized or semi‑synthesized alkaloids; products with added or increased 7‑OH above 2% of total alkaloid content or more than 1 mg per serving; and products with heavy metals or microbial contamination above federal limits. Duncan said she is "willing to put a ban on 7‑OH and then the natural leaf would be 21 and over," but noted that county ordinances apply only in unincorporated areas and would be less effective unless city governments adopt similar measures.

During a question‑and‑answer session, audience members and presenters discussed conflicting research and agency statements. Several attendees noted the Food and Drug Administration has highlighted concern about synthetic 7‑OH products while saying natural leaf kratom is not the same as adulterated products; presenters countered that some industry‑funded studies may understate adverse events and that contamination (lead, salmonella) has been implicated in past fatalities. The coroner and others emphasized limits in current evidence and variability in study funding and methods.

Residents pressed for clarity on how deaths and severe outcomes are attributed to contamination versus synthetic adulteration. The coroner said his laboratory’s molecular screening can identify common lethal substances but does not screen for "everything in the world," and that toxicology testing requires targeted analysis for particular agents. A social‑services worker said she has observed increased use among working adults who use the products as stimulants, and warned that a policy focused only on restricting youth access would not address adult community harms.

No formal county vote or ordinance adoption occurred at the meeting. Duncan said county counsel has helped draft the ordinance and that commissioners "are already in agreement that something needs to be done," but she did not move or file the ordinance during the town hall. Officials said they will continue fact‑gathering and outreach to cities and the state ahead of the next legislative session.

Next steps described at the event included additional local meetings, follow‑up with clinical and law‑enforcement partners, and the possibility that the county commission will formally consider the draft ordinance. Organizers encouraged attendees to remain engaged and said county staff would be available for follow‑up questions after the meeting.