In this powerful interview on WLW News Radio in Cincinnati, Shane Leonard, co-founder and CEO of Into Action Recovery, discusses the growing dangers of kratom-derived products like 7-OH, often referred to as “gas station heroin.”
As these substances become easier to buy in convenience stores, vape shops, and smoke shops across the country, many people assume they must be relatively harmless. But according to Shane, that assumption is leading more individuals into serious addiction and increasingly difficult detox experiences.
During the conversation, Shane explains how modern kratom products are often chemically altered versions of a naturally occurring plant from Southeast Asia. While the original plant has traditional uses overseas, the products being sold in the United States today are far more potent – and far more dangerous.
He also warns that availability plays a major role in how people perceive risk. Because these products are legal and easy to access, many recovering addicts and families underestimate how addictive they can become.
Drawing from years of experience helping people recover from substance abuse, Shane emphasizes that real recovery starts with personal commitment and lasting behavioral change, not replacing one addictive substance with another.
He also shares Into Action Recovery’s abstinence-based philosophy, explaining why his team believes long-term recovery requires individuals to fully break free from dependence on controlled substances.
Transcript
WLW 1: News Radio seven hundred WLW.
WLW 2: Alright. Back with Eddie and Rocky. And, Rock, as if we didn’t have enough of a drug problem in this country, now there’s something new that you can just go and buy at the local gas station.
WLW 1: That’s what’s wild. Yeah. There’s certainly no shortage of things to get you high these days, but, of course, we talk about fentanyl and heroin and all that. But, you know, now there are these drugs. And I guess some of the, you know, there’s been the increase in these vape shops and some things that you can find in gas stations, some things that almost give, like, a heroin-like feeling that you can just buy at a gas station.
WLW 2: And they’re addictive.
WLW 1: And they’re very, very addictive. And joining us right now to discuss, he’s an addiction expert. He heads up Into Action Recovery Centers in Texas. His name is Shane Leonard. Shane, welcome to the program.
How are you?
Shane: I’m doing well. Thank you for having me.
WLW 2: So, Shane, you heard us talking about, and the one thing we’re talking about in particular is seven o, not like 70 as in $70.00. Describe what this stuff is.
Shane: Well, unfortunately, I’m all too familiar with it. Wow. So it’s just a new iteration of kratom, which
WLW 2: Oh, that’s yeah.
Shane: You know, you said, like, it has opiate-like quality for sure, and it’s just absolutely awful.
WLW 1: So, explain, I guess, what is it chemically that allows it to be sold in a gas station, okay, but then also have the effects of something as powerful as heroin?
Shane: You know, that’s a good question. I think that it goes back to, you know, whereas some states are, you know, dispensaries for marijuana, which, if you’ve ever gone into one of those, by the way, it’s almost like it’s not legal here in Texas, so we don’t have that to worry about as much. But this, this kratom is they just change an ingredient, and, you know, the FDA is doing research on it. And as soon as they kinda pick up on one thing, they just change the ingredients a little bit. Yeah.
Kratom on its own is, you know, who knows because we’ve never seen pure kratom because none of these products are.
WLW 1: What is kratom real quick? Describe what kratom is. You hear that word?
Shane: Yeah. Kratom is very similar to natural opiates. It’s plant-based. It’s actually a tree predominantly in Southeast Asia, and it’s used for medicinal purposes, but that’s not what we’re talking about.
WLW 2: Now I Shane, I got the impression from the story I saw that in that part of the world, they chew on these things like a person in, say, Colombia would chew on a coca leaf, and you get kind of an experience, a high experience that way. Is that true?
Shane: That’s exactly right. Yeah. It’s
WLW 1: Interesting. So, and I guess what’s happening too, again, according to the article we have here, is, you know, you got someone who’s been on heroin and recovering and, you know, maybe they’ve kicked at it, but they kinda need something. So it’s almost being sold as, well, hey. If you can take this, you can buy it at a gas station. It’s not as powerful as heroin, but it’ll kinda give you a little bit of the effect, and people are finding this is, like, just as addictive and powerful.
Right?
Shane: Well, absolutely. That wasn’t the case, I would say, probably four years ago, but certainly now it is. And it’s almost, I think it’s almost worse because of its availability, and it’s not illegal. So people find it to be pretty benign, and it’s just simply not the case.
WLW 2: Well, Shane, I that’s what that’s what I was wondering. And you work with the people through their addictions and stuff. Are you finding that people who are trying to come off of hard drugs, say, in this case, like, heroin or something, they they’re thinking to themselves, well, hell, I can buy it right down there at Let’s not be that bad. At the Shell station. How bad can it be?
Shane: Well, it’s amazing you say that. I’m still shocked. You know, we’re in 2026, and people are still very, very uninformed about drugs and the harms of them. And you’re exactly right. Well, Kratom, it’s ubiquitous.
You can go in any store, head shop, as you mentioned, and you could just pick it up and use it with, you know, alleged impunity. And as it’s become stronger, we’ve seen more and more and more treatment episodes for that. And in most cases, the detox from kratom is much more difficult and much longer than fentanyl or heroin.
WLW 1: And Shane, let me ask you this. And Shane Leonard’s our guest. He’s an addiction expert. In all your experience, Shane, what helps people the most? What have you found, whether it’s easy or hard or whatever?
What what is what what is the best result that that is that you’ve seen happen in terms of people kicking a drug habit? What has to happen in your experience?
Shane: Well, first of all, you’ve got to wanna make change, the individual themselves. And I don’t care how that comes about. We see intervention clients, which interventions are fantastic because it structures the treatment episode. And abstinence, you know, if if you if we looked at this as strictly a business, we can do a lot of things differently. Abstinence is the only way that we do things.
So by absence, I mean, they come in for a medical detox, and then from going forward, there are no maintenance drugs. You don’t leave our facility with maintenance drugs of any kind. And I’ll debate anyone that wants to talk about that, but that’s not really my job. We do what we do. We’re not a great fit for everyone.
But for people that really wanna change their life, myself included, I’m coming up on seventeen years. Alcohol was my poison, which is the worst, by the way. Mhmm. And we just don’t believe in you don’t leave here with any prescriptions for controlled substances whatsoever.
WLW 1: And what you’re talking about is, you know, there was always, if you were addicted to heroin or cocaine, you’d give you methadone or something like this, or even one of these seven zero eight or one of these drugs we’re talking about here. So you’re you’re saying in your experience that there’s no such thing as replacing one drug with another and weaning yourself off of that. That don’t work.
Shane: Absolutely not.
WLW 2: Alright. Well, Shane, people wanna find out more about what it is you all do. Where can they go?
Shane: You can go to our website. I’m a terrible marketer, so you can tell that I believe in what we do. It’s www.intoactionrecovery.com.
WLW 2: Shane Leonard, we appreciate it. Thanks so much.
Shane: Yes, sir. Thank you, guys, for reporting on this.
Kratom or 7-OH Addiction Treatment with Into Action Recovery
If you or someone you love is struggling with kratom, 7-OH, opioids, alcohol, or another addictive substance, you do not have to face it alone. Into Action Recovery provides compassionate, abstinence-based addiction treatment designed to help individuals safely break free from dependence and build a healthier future.
Our team offers medical detox, residential treatment, and long-term recovery support for people ready to make a lasting change. Whether kratom started as an attempt to manage pain, ease withdrawal, or replace another substance, recovery is possible with the right clinical care, structure, and support.
Contact Into Action Recovery today to speak with someone who understands addiction and can help you take the next step toward freedom from substance use.
