TAMPA, Fla (WFLA) — The Food and Drug Administration wants to ban an opioid-like substance sold in gas stations and convenience stores.

“Let’s not allow another wave of the opioid epidemic to catch us blindsided again,” said FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty McCreery.

Leaders with the FDA, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said products containing this chemical are a recipe for a public health disaster.

Reports say trace amounts of 7-OH, formerly known as 7-Hydrozymitragynine, can be found in kratom products. Kratom is banned in six states, and in Sarasota County. Kratom is frequently advertised and sold at smoke shops around the Tampa Bay area.

8 On Your Side asked Florida State Representative Michael Owen if kratom is still a problem today.

“Oh absolutely. It’s actually getting worse by the day just because this product is kind of the Wild Wild West right 1753935093,” said Owen. “I’m so glad to see the FDA doing something.”

Owens proposed a bill last year to ban high levels of 7-OH, which is often mixed with other substances to make it stronger.

The American Kratom Association, or AKA, said there are industries that try to exploit the market and deceive kratom consumers.

“These are not traditional or safe kratom products. They are designer opioids using kratom’s name as a marketing smoke screen,” said Mac Haddow, with AKA. “Very similar to what’s happened in the hemp industry where you get the Delta 8 and Delta 10s that are synthetically manipulated and are responsible for calls for those kinds of intoxicating products to be removed; and the same thing was happening in the kratom industry.”

The FDA said their recommendation will delineate trace amounts from synthetic concentrated amounts.

“We’re not targeting the kratom leaf or ground kratom. We are targeting the concentrated synthetic byproduct that is an opioid,” said McCreery.

The Holistic Alternative Recovery Trust advocates for plant-based recovery products. In a statement from their website, they said, “7-OH can be an invaluable harm reduction tool that should remain an option for the hundreds of thousands of consumers that rely on it.”