New Study Raises Red Flags About Ingredients Found in Gas Station Heroin
The Stop Gas Station Heroin coalition is sounding the alarm after reviewing a new animal study commissioned by CBD American Shaman, a Missouri-based company that sells '7' products in stores across the country.
The study, which tested the effects of increasing doses of two lab-made substances — '7' (7-hydroxymitragynine) and 'Pseudo' (mitragynine pseudoindoxyl) — was funded to support the company's bid for FDA drug approval. But the research methods and results raise serious red flags for consumers of Gas Station Heroin.
First, a clear conflict of interest occurred in conducting this study: CBD American Shaman has been illegally selling 7 products as dietary supplements since 2022, and the research was released by Holistic Alternative Recovery Trust (HART), a group with a financial stake in 7 and Pseudo products.
Second, the study suggests these drugs may be far more dangerous than their labels imply: CBD American Shaman tells consumers that 7.5 milligrams, or half a tablet, is a safe serving. But based on the study's own data, that amount may be more than 25 times higher than what would be considered safe for human consumption.
Using standard FDA methods to translate the effects seen in dogs to humans, Stop Gas Station Heroin estimates that just 0.3 milligrams could cross the threshold for risk. Yet many consumers of these products are unknowingly ingesting significantly greater amounts. Moreover, the study points to clear risks of addiction and dependency with misuse.
'These are not natural products. They are chemically altered, unapproved pharmaceutical drugs being marketed as herbal remedies,' said Matthew Lowe, Executive Director of Stop Gas Station Heroin. 'You can't just slap a 'dietary supplement' label on a drug and skip the safety trials.'
CBD American Shaman and other purveyors of Gas Station Heroin have marketed 7 and Pseudo products as supplements formulated to cure, treat, and mitigate disease — namely, chronic pain and opioid use disorder — even though the products have never been approved by the FDA for any medical use.
If companies like CBD American Shaman want to sell these substances legally, they must demonstrate the drugs' safety and effectiveness through a rigorous series of clinical trials and submit the results to the FDA as part of the New Drug Approval process. Until then, Stop Gas Station Heroin is calling for the immediate removal of these synthetic street drugs from store shelves.
About Stop Gas Station Heroin
Stop Gas Station Heroin is a national coalition that aims to educate consumers about harmful synthetic drugs and advocate for smart regulation that distinguishes between legitimate, natural botanicals and dangerous, synthetic drugs, combined with enforcement of current federal laws around unapproved drugs. To learn more, navigate to stopgasstationheroin.com.
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SOURCE: Stop Gas Station Heroin
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