For nearly twenty years, I lived in pain. I was stuck in an endless cycle of ER visits and prescriptions, treated like a problem instead of a patient. Then I found something that worked: 7-OH, a pain-relieving compound found in the kratom plant. It didn’t just ease the pain. It gave me back the ability to live.
I’m not alone. Across Missouri, people are turning to kratom and 7-OH to manage chronic pain, avoid opioids, and stay functional. But these products exist in a regulatory gray zone. There’s no rules on who can sell them, what’s in them, or how to keep them safe. That’s risky for everyone.
If Missouri keeps dragging its feet, it’s only a matter of time before confusion or a single bad incident sparks a backlash that cuts off access for the people who rely on kratom and 7-OH to stay healthy and out of pain.
For thousands of Missourians like me, that would be a disaster. Just over a year ago, I was curled up on the couch trying not to cry in front of my kids. My back was flaring up again. It’s the kind of pain that unravels you. I walked into a wellness store on a whim, expecting more of the same recycled advice. Instead, they suggested 7-OH.
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I didn’t think it would work. But I went home, took one, and laid down. It worked. The pain stopped. Since then, I haven’t had another flare-up. I’ve lost 30 pounds. My blood pressure, once at stroke levels, is now normal. I play with my kids. I cook. I go to the gym. I’ve stopped taking pharmaceuticals. Kratom and 7-OH don’t work for everyone, but they gave me my life back.
But I’m terrified of losing all the progress I’ve made — not because of the product itself, but because of the vacuum around it.
We had a chance to fix that in Missouri’s recent legislative session. A bipartisan bill was introduced that would have put commonsense rules in place: age limits, ingredient testing, dosage caps, clear labeling. It didn’t pass. Now, we’re still operating without any ground rules.
We’ve seen what happens when products like this are left unregulated. One bad batch or misuse incident becomes the excuse for a blanket ban. That punishes people like me who use 7-OH responsibly and leaves everyone more vulnerable.
Some worry that regulating 7-OH sends the wrong message, as if rules encourage risky behavior. But regulation doesn’t mean endorsement. It means protection. I’m asking for proactive, science-based safeguards that keep people safe before something goes wrong.
Many responsible sellers already follow these standards voluntarily. But without clear statewide rules, the public has no way to know what’s safe and what’s not. Missouri should turn voluntary best practices into law: not just to preserve access for patients like me, but to build public confidence that these products are being handled responsibly and with safety as the top priority.
Missouri has a choice. We can either regulate kratom and 7-OH now, or wait for a crisis to force our hand. If we don’t act, people like me will be forced back into ERs, pills, and pain, all because we failed to create guardrails when we had the chance.
I found relief after twenty years. Let’s not make the next person wait two decades. Regulate kratom and 7-OH before we lose the option.
Lane lives in Kansas City.
