The Opioid-Like Drug Sold At Gas Stations

Summary

Morning Wire — "The Opioid-Like Drug Sold At Gas Stations"

Date: April 11, 2026
Hosts: John Bickley, Georgia Howe
Guest: Regan Conrad (Daily Wire investigative reporter, host of new investigative show)

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on the alarming rise and underregulation of Kratom and its derivatives, substances with opiate-like effects that are widely available at gas stations and smoke shops across the U.S. Georgia Howe and John Bickley interview Daily Wire’s Regan Conrad about her debut investigative series, focusing first on Kratom, its synthetic cousin "7oh," their dangers, legality, and how regulators are scrambling to catch up.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to the Investigative Series

• Regan Conrad’s New Show:
  • Format: Flexible channel (long-form interviews, video essays, mini docs).
    • “Every different story deserves its own kind of way to tell it.” (Regan Conrad, 03:48)
  • Purpose: “Build bridges through honest conversations…grounded in truth.” (Regan Conrad, 02:53)

2. Kratom and 7oh: What Are They?

• Origin and Spread:
  • Kratom is a leaf native to Southeast Asia, now sold in U.S. gas stations and smoke shops.
  • 7oh refers to "7-hydroxymitragynine," a more potent, synthetic derivative of Kratom.
• Use and Effects:
  • Initial purposes often include chronic pain relief, but addictive properties are strong.
  • Both “act like opioids,” causing withdrawal symptoms and dependence—users unaware of risks.
    • “Both of them act like opioids, which is the biggest thing I think people should be aware of.” (Regan Conrad, 05:19)
• Packaging & Accessibility:
  • Kratom is often marketed as a harmless “natural supplement,” resembling energy shots.
    • “It looks like a five hour energy…people think, oh, it’s totally fine.” (Regan Conrad, 07:21)

3. Legal Gray Areas & Regulatory Response

• Legal Status:
  • Kratom and especially synthetic 7oh are in regulatory limbo.
  • Some states are banning or drafting bans:
    • “Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Indiana, Louisiana, Vermont, Wisconsin…” (Regan Conrad, 09:55)
    • Rhode Island’s ban recently expired but efforts to renew are ongoing.
  • Age restrictions minimal or nonexistent—teens can buy at convenience stores.
• Lag in Legislation:
  • Lawmakers are rushing to address harms exposed well after the substances’ popularity soared.
    • Comparison to opioid crisis legislative delays.
      • “Part of the reason why opioids became the problem…legislation lagged so far behind the harm.” (Georgia Howe, 09:42)

4. Risks and Community Impact

• Addiction and Withdrawal:
  • Users, including high schoolers, report severe withdrawal.
  • Some gas station clerks note repeat customers buying “11 times a day.”
    • “That’s not normal. And it’s not good.” (Regan Conrad, 07:44)
• Deaths and Misconceptions:
  • Emerging evidence that Kratom appears on death certificates—direct causation remains debated.
  • Synthetic 7oh more definitively linked to fatalities.
• Uninformed Use:
  • Most users unaware it’s a drug, confusing it for legal, safe supplements.
    • “People do not know that for this product.” (Regan Conrad, 09:16)
  • Calls for at least “bare minimum” awareness and clear labeling.

5. The Investigative Process

• Hands-on Journalism:
  • Regan and team purchased various forms of Kratom/7oh for research.
  • Declines to sample herself:
    • “I have these drugs in my office I gotta now throw out. But no, I didn’t try it.” (Regan Conrad, 08:09)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Kratom’s Emergence:
  • “It’s sort of like it’s lived in a gray area or kind of in the dark for a while. And now people are starting to be like, hey, this is a huge problem.” (Regan Conrad, 03:48)
• On Synthetic Derivatives:
  • “Chemists have gotten involved and they’re kind of catering this thing to create a new drug.” (Regan Conrad, 05:19)
• On Youth Access:
  • “This is stuff that they are picking up at a 7 11. No ID required, correct?” (Georgia Howe, 07:11)
  • “No, no. I mean a lot of it’s being sold as like a natural herbal supplement…” (Regan Conrad, 07:21)
• On the Prevalence in Stores:
  • “Now when you drive past the smoke shop, you’ll see Kratom, which I didn’t even…know what it was. It’s sort of like the way marijuana just suddenly popped up and now it’s everywhere.” (Regan Conrad, 06:45)
• On Dangers and Warnings:
  • “People should know what they’re taking, and they should, just as any other drug…People do not know that for this product.” (Regan Conrad, 09:16)
• On Real World Observations:
  • “People kept saying…I have a lot of people coming in for this, like, 11 times a day. That’s not normal.” (Regan Conrad, 07:44)
• On Policy Response:
  • “Even as of the recording…a lot is happening with this [state-level bans].” (Regan Conrad, 09:55)

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Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment/Event | |-------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:17 | Introduction of Regan Conrad & her new investigative series | | 03:48-05:19 | Discussion of Kratom, 7oh, and their origins and effects | | 05:19-06:41 | Addictive properties, legal status, difference between Kratom and 7oh | | 06:41-07:44 | Accessibility, how products are marketed and sold | | 07:42-08:09 | Affordability, prevalence, and reporting by gas station clerks | | 08:19-09:11 | Deaths, risks, and medical reporting of Kratom-related fatalities | | 09:50-10:19 | Pending and active legislation—states banning Kratom/7oh |

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Closing: Teaser for Next Episode

• Next Topic: Regan’s second episode covers the documentary “The Death of Recess,” an undercover look at issues in American public education, touching on corruption and ideological bias within the NEA.
• Schedule:
  • Main episodes every Saturday, shorter segments midweek on the Regan Conrad YouTube channel.

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Summary Tone & Takeaway

The discussion is urgent yet grounded, emphasizing the rapid spread of a little-known substance with profound risks, the dangers of legislative inertia, and the critical need for public awareness. Conrad’s reporting style is open and firsthand; the hosts maintain a conversational, informative approach aiming to alert listeners to emerging cultural and regulatory issues.

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For more details and follow-up reporting, visit the Regan Conrad YouTube channel or listen to future Morning Wire episodes.

Transcript

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[Regan Conrad]

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[Co-host/Interviewer 1]

States are scrambling to regulate a highly addictive opiate like substance currently being sold at gas stations. Kratom and 7oh products are quietly surging in popularity with young people, most of whom are totally unaware of the risks.

[Georgia Howe]

In this episode we speak to the Daily Wire's own Regan Conrad about her debut investigative series, the first episode of which is a deep dive on the proliferation and dangers of Kratom. I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Executive editor John Bickley. It's Saturday, April 11th, and this is Morning Wire.

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[Regan Conrad]

This is a journey I've wanted to take for a long time now. And more than anything, I want to build bridges through honest conversations. I'm curious about the culture, grounded in truth and pursuing the purpose my creator has for me. And I am so excited for you guys to join me on this journey. So if you have any topics or stories you want me to look into, send them my way and let's dive in.

[Georgia Howe]

Joining us now to discuss her new show is Daily Wire's Reagan Conrad Regan. Thanks for coming on.

[Regan Conrad]

Hi guys. Thanks for having me. I'm honored to be here.

[Co-host/Interviewer 1]

This is fun.

[Regan Conrad]

This is very fun. I like, I always see you guys recording in here, so it's fun to actually get in here for a second.

[Co-host/Interviewer 1]

Our domain.

[Regan Conrad]

Yes, exactly.

[Georgia Howe]

So you just launched this new show. It's a deep dive, investigative series type show and you had your first episode on Kratom, which it's a wild topic, very underreported. Can you just tell us first the structure of your new show and then also what this first episode is about?

[Regan Conrad]

Yeah. So this new show is very exciting. It's essentially a channel that is home to a bunch of different formats. So I've covered over the years that essentially every different story deserves its own kind of way to tell it. And so what I wanted to do with this channel is it can be long form interviews, it can be short, quick video essay styles, it can be mini docs. It's going to kind of be an assortment of everything. And I think that's what's fun because every story can kind of be catered to the way that it's best told. So our first one is Kratom. I had originally seen it go viral because these guys were talking about how these kids got their hands on this stuff from a gas station. And then they're saying like, but also it acts like an opiate, so be very careful and you can get it at a gas station. And I was like, there's no way this is true. And so we went down this rabbit hole. And it proved to be very much true and very much a problem that is just now starting to be discussed. It's sort of like it's lived in a gray area or kind of in the dark for a while. And now people are starting to be like, hey, this is a huge problem, or I'm going to rehab for this thing that I didn't even know was dangerous. And so that's. That's kind of the topic of our first one because we're like, we need to deep dive this because this is a huge issue going on.

[Georgia Howe]

So when I lived In California, about 15 maybe, it was. It was probably 2015 when I first learned about Kratom. And it was a friend of mine who was telling me that he would go, like into Chinatown to get this stuff called Kratom. And it helps with his pain. And I remember thinking, this is like, so, so sketchy. But nothing ever, like, I never really heard about it in the news. He was demonstrating some signs that to me, this looked like addiction.

[Regan Conrad]

Yeah.

[Georgia Howe]

But I kind of was like, well, if it's legal, it's legal. Can you tell us what exactly this stuff is and what the legal status is?

[Regan Conrad]

Yes. So it is a leaf that is grown in Southeast Asia originally. It's now come over here sort of under the radar like that, where it's in these random little, like, sketchy areas and people have kind of got their hands on it slowly. They essentially took derivatives from the Kratom plant. Something called 7oh is the biggest kind of concern in this conversation. And 7oh has now been. Chemists have gotten involved and they're kind of catering this thing to create a new drug. So people are getting hooked to the Kratom leaf plant. Probably kind of sounds like what your friend was, was dealing with. It helps with chronic pain. So people are seeing these good side effects of it. But there's also a dark side that people aren't really talking about, or those who are didn't know about it until years into the usage of this product. So there's Kratom and then there's seven oh. So there's kind of this. Everyone's fighting both of these things at the same time. Both of them issues, both of them are addictive. Both of them act like opioids, which is the biggest thing that I think people should be aware of. And so that's what we were trying to break down of, like, what is the differences, because there's different legal statuses for both, too. A lot of states right now are targeting synthetic 7 oh, so that's because these chemists have gotten involved, they're heightening it, they're making it way more dangerous. It's. People are getting super, super addicted to this stuff. So that is becoming outlawed in a couple states. I think Florida is one of the first ones to really target synthetic seven. Oh, other states since even the recording of our video because we've been working this for months as of this, a lot of them are now targeting Kratom as well. So there's kind of a lot happening simultaneously, but people are paying attention.

[Co-host/Interviewer 1]

When you say targeting, is that like a. There's an age limit, et cetera or where it's allowed to be sold.

[Regan Conrad]

It's sort of like a lot of them are being sold in smoke shops. So now when you drive past the smoke shop, you'll see Kratom, which I didn't even. Again, I didn't even know the word. I didn't know what it was. It's sort of like the way marijuana just suddenly popped up and now it's everywhere. Kratom is kind of essentially doing the same thing. So that's happening everywhere. But people are, they were saying, well Kratom is fine, but 7oh is not. And so that's kind of been the battle of which is safe or are both of them safe? And a lot of states are now sort starting to say no. Kratom even have, it has issues like even in its natural state. So again, that's kind of the issue.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, and I mean I've heard of high school students who are experiencing withdrawal symptoms when they are trying to come down from this. This is stuff that they are picking up at a 7 11. No ID required, correct?

[Regan Conrad]

No, no. I mean a lot of it's being sold as like a natural herbal supplement or things that like a five hour energy. Yes, yes. And it looks like a five hour energy or it just acts like that and people think, oh, it's totally fine. So they grab it at the gas station and then they have to grab it multiple times a week and then they're grabbing it multiple times a day and it's becoming like genuinely this huge issue. And then people are rehab for all of these different derivatives. So it's wild.

[Co-host/Interviewer 1]

Is it expensive?

[Regan Conrad]

No, no. And that's again, people can grab their hands on it really quickly. It's like under $10. I mean we went out in our video and we bought a lot of different versions of it because we wanted to kind of understand these, the differences. It's Very cheap. And. And every person at these gas stations and the smoke shops were like, yeah, I have a lot of people coming in for this, like, 11 times a day. That's not. Nor. That's not normal. And it's not good. And also, it's not something to brag about to a random stranger. But people kept saying that. But yeah, that's. That's the trend.

[Co-host/Interviewer 1]

Did you try it?

[Regan Conrad]

No, I didn't. I had in my office. I have these drugs in my office I gotta now throw out. But no, I didn't try it.

[Co-host/Interviewer 1]

Oh, we've talked to hr. It's fine.

[Regan Conrad]

Yeah, exactly. They know it's here now.

[Georgia Howe]

I had previously read a few months ago when we reported on this, I think the first time that there hadn't been officially any deaths linked to Kratom, and maybe not even seven. Oh. But I understand that's a little bit of a gray area. What is the actual risk of this?

[Regan Conrad]

I mean, there are a lot of people saying that Kratom is now on death certificates. So are they directly linking that as the only thing? No, not from what I'm seeing, but I am seeing a lot of people saying, you know, my. A lot of even widows speaking to this. My partner was addicted to Kratom. He passed away. It's on his death certificate, among some other things. They're trying to, like, figure out the differences of that. But a lot of people are saying there's an absolute correlation between it, especially heavy overdoses, especially of 7 oh. And synthetic 7 oh. I think that has been proven to have killed a lot of people at this point. So it's. It's the natural stuff is what's kind of up for debate. The synthetic stuff is definitely way more harmful in. In like, smaller quantities, essentially.

[Georgia Howe]

And again, this is what a high school student can walk into any 711 and get.

[Regan Conrad]

Yeah. And. And not know it's a drug. Like, I mean, so many people are taking this stuff just thinking like, oh, it's totally fine. And that's. I think that's my biggest thing with this of, you know, people can debate how they want to use it or what kind of legal ramifications it should have or regulations, but it at least, bare minimum, people should know what they're taking, and they should, just as any other drug. Like, you know the dangers of taking alcohol. Right. Because a lot of people are comparing it to alcohol, but it's like, you know that alcohol can be dangerous, especially in mass quantities. People do not know that for this product.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, I know it Took part of the reason why opioids became the problem that they are is because the legislation lagged so far behind the harm.

[Regan Conrad]

Yeah.

[Georgia Howe]

Are there bills in process to regulate Kratom or seven?

[Regan Conrad]

Oh, yes, actually a lot. And even like I said, as of the recording of our episode, there's a couple states and I can read them here because I actually have a bunch of that now are having full Kratom bans. So the natural leaf and seven. Oh. Because again, both of those distinguishers, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Indiana, Louisiana, Vermont, Wisconsin, Rhode Island's ban just expired in April, but they are trying to keep that going. So actively a lot is happening with this.

[Georgia Howe]

Now before you go, you have your second episode dropping this weekend. Totally different topic. What are you talking about? This weekend?

[Regan Conrad]

Yes, this weekend I am talking with someone called Spencer Taylor and he is the creator of a new documentary on Angel Studios called the Death of Recess. And he dove into the education system, essentially wanting to understand what's going wrong. Why are we, you know, this very developed, awesome country and yet our education system, especially public education, is failing so many people. And so he went down this rabbit hole and it led him to crazy parts in D.C. and unpacking things happening in the NEA and just crazy corruption on so many levels. And I watched this documentary and he's a friend of mine. I was like, we need to talk about this because there is so much to unpack. So it's a long form conversation where we just talk about this. And I can't stress enough how many surprises there are. Like there were so many things that are appalling to me, especially as a new parent, like what do I do with my child regarding education? And I. I'm terrified of some of the things that we learned. Yeah, yeah.

[Co-host/Interviewer 1]

Not to spoil anything, but do you have one or two that you could highlight for us that were short the surprises?

[Regan Conrad]

Yes, absolutely. He went undercover with the NEA and found that they were praising the Satanic temple. Like at a conference where there are just a bunch of teachers, like something that it shouldn't be political at all. And yet these breakout sessions were talking about the Satanic temple and talking about, oh, well, this is the way that we talk about, you know, the Gay Straight Alliance Club. Because if we call it that, parents will hear it and they'll know what that is. So we're actually gonna call it this thing instead. I mean, so many things like the WOKE ideology was just in it. And I didn't expect, nor did he, that he would find that anything that was supposed to be about fixing education. You know, if we have a problem, we need it fixed. Those topics are not fixing it at all. They're making it way worse. Obviously. It's crazy, really disheartening, but he record that? Yes.

[Georgia Howe]

Okay, so this episode came out this weekend. Do you have weekly drops? Is that how this works?

[Regan Conrad]

Yes. So we have the big episodes. We go out every Saturday, and then we'll have these little, little episodes ago. On Wednesdays. There are little kind of conversations, just myself to camera or extended cuts of interviews, whatever we want to show that maybe didn't get out in that Saturday episode. So every week they will be coming out and you can find it at the Regan Conrad YouTube channel.

[Georgia Howe]

All right, Reagan, thank you so much for coming on.

[Regan Conrad]

Thank you guys so much for having me. It was a pleasure.

[Co-host/Interviewer 1]

That was the Daily Wire's Reagan Conrad, and this has been a weekend edition of Morning Wire.

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[Regan Conrad]

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