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San Francisco links first fatal overdose to gas-station supplement ingredient
A resident died in late September after exposure to MGM-15, a potent kratom-derived opioid found in a supplement’s packaging, city health officials said. The death is the second this year in San Francisco involving a newly detected synthetic opioid.
San Francisco health officials say a resident died in late September after an overdose involving MGM-15, a potent opioid sold in some gas stations and smoke shops. It is the city’s first fatal case linked to the substance.
The medical examiner detected MGM-15 both in the person’s system and in packaging for a supplement the person appeared to have taken, according to the San Francisco Department of Public Health. The product, branded Script Botanicals x Maui Labs, did not identify kratom or 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) on its packaging, the department said. Details about the person who died were not immediately available.
MGM-15 is derived from kratom and is estimated to be as much as 50 times stronger than morphine. The city’s announcement raises concerns about potent opioid compounds appearing in products sold outside conventional drug markets, including retail supplements.
The death is the second reported in San Francisco this year involving a newly detected synthetic opioid. In April, a 16-year-old died after taking a pill he believed was Xanax that contained cychlorphine, another highly potent opioid. That case led city health officials, Mayor Daniel Lurie and law enforcement leaders to warn the public about counterfeit pills.