to the editor: The main thing consumers should know about Los Angeles' crackdown on 7-OH and kratom products is that there is a better path than prohibition (“Los Angeles County stores must immediately stop selling kratom and 7-OH, health department warns.” November 7).
States like Rhode Island We have implemented regulatory structures for 7-OH that require dosing standards, precise labeling, testing, and age restrictions. Although current dosage limits are severely restricted, this demonstrates that smart regulation to avoid overly criminalizing millions of users of 7-OH and kratom products is possible, if not necessary.
The reported overdoses of these products in Los Angeles County are concerning, but even more so when you consider that every unfortunate case examined by the Los Angeles Times revealed cocktails of other substances, both legal and illegal, in toxicology analyses.
What this shows is that we need clear rules, safe regulations and a transparent market so that consumers know what they are getting.
Yael Ossowski, Washington, D.C.
This author is deputy director of the consumer advocacy group Consumer Choice Center.
