HILLBILLY HEROIN –
Sept. 18, 2025 – Grace was given a free sample of CBD American Shaman’s Advanced Alkaloids tablets after purchasing an order of CBD gummies — a promotion the company continues to this day. She liked the way the product made her feel and bought more. She quickly went from one or two tablets a day to 10 a day in the span of a month. … “It made me incredibly depressed and heightened my anxiety. I was simultaneously on edge and completely checked out.”
Grace’s wake-up call arrived in March, when she spent $200 in a day on 7-OH. She took a week off work and quit cold turkey. She didn’t sleep for two days and felt like she “was having a panic attack for a solid eight hours straight.” She had sweats, body aches, and muscle spasms. She says her digestive system has still not completely gone back to normal and her hair only recently stopped falling out. “Yes, it does work as a painkiller, because it works on the opioid receptors in the brain, but it is a very under-studied and under-researched chemical, and we still don’t know the full long-term effects it can have on the body,” Grace said. “Having it available for anyone and everyone is dangerous.” The Star spoke to several other recovering users across the country. Ian, an 28-year-old amateur mixed-martial-arts fighter who lives in the Pacific Northwest, had success using powdered kratom leaf to kick a heroin and Oxycodone addiction. (Ian also asked for anonymity for professional reasons.) He said he bought 7-OH for the first time thinking it was a kratom extract product.
