Kratom, banned by California, is still for sale in East County stores including synthetic versions linked to numerous deaths

Story and photos by Miriam Raftery

January 24, 2026 (San Diego’s East County) – An investigation by East County Magazine has found kratom and synthetic kratom (7-OH) products for sale locally in every East County city, despite the fact that it’s illegal in California to sell or manufacture kratom for consumption. The ban is due to risk of addiction, serious harm, overdose or death, according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Kratom can also cause liver toxicity when used with alcohol.

Kratom is derived from a southeast Asian plant with opioid-like properties and synthetic versions have proven even more dangerous.   In October, CDPH warned consumers not to consume any kratom products after the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported six fatal overdoses linked to 7-OH in the prior six months.  

San Diego County’s Medical Examiner has reported 17 deaths since 2023 related to mitragynine, the alkaloid found in kratom, though most of those deaths involved multiple substances. Over 18 months in 2016 and 2017, 152 overdose deaths involving kratom were reported in the United States, with kratom as the primary overdose agent in 91 of the deaths, and 7 with kratom being the only agent detected.

Nationally, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) makes clear, “kratom is not lawfully marketed in the U.S. as a drug product, a dietary supplement, or a food additive in conventional food.” In December, the FDA began seizing food and dietary supplements containing 7-0H. Kratom and 7-OH is also appearing in products ranging from beverages to gummies.

The CDPH has also begun removing kratom and 7-OH from store shelves. In addition, the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (ABC) in December sent warning letters to its licensees to immediately remove such products off retail shelves or risk losing their licenses.

Yet multiple local retailers continue to offer these illegal products.

Cloud Chasers Smoke, Vape and Kratom shop on La Mesa Boulevard in La Mesa has a large window sign (photo, top left) boasting of being “Your Premium source of Kratom products.”  Also for sale inside are 7-OH products. Kratom products from Cloud Chasers are also listed for sale online.

Smoke Shop at 6193 C Lake Murray Blvd. also continues touting Kratom products in its store window.

The United Smoke and Vape Shop on Magnolia in El Cajon still lists kratom products under its “wellness and lifestyle products” section online.

The Lemon Grove Smoke Shop’s Instagram page touts hydroxymitragynine (the chemical name for synthetic kratom or 7-OH) including a “party blend.”

Tree of Life Botanicals on Jackson Drive in La Mesa (photo, left) continues to advertise Kratom with an exterior banner and on its website has numerous kratom and 7-OH products for sales including shots, drinks, powders, and more.

Bumblebee Botanicals in Santee not only advertises many kratom products on its website, but blatantly lies, stating “Kratom, or Mitragyna speciosa (its scientific name), is legal to purchase and possess in Santee and all of its surrounding cities.”  (Fact check: California’s ban on all kratom product sales takes precedence over local ordinances, or lack of local regulation.)

There are likely many other retailers selling illegal kratom and synthetic kratom products across our region, though ECM’s internet search did not turn up kratom advertised online in unincorporated communities such as Alpine, Ramona, and Spring Valley. A Lakeside outlet previously advertising kratom and CBD goes to a “site not found” page. 

NBC 7 has reported that despite bans in the city of San Diego since 2016, enforcement has been lacking and many vape stores ,convenience stores and other outlets there are still selling kratom products.

Even many advocates of plant-derived kratom supplements have said they support the crackdown on synthetic 7-OH products, which they believe reflect poorly on their industry.  “I've been using kratom for 15 years. It's not dangerous. It's functional,” Ted Turczyn, co-owner of Spectrum Kratom, told NBC 7, He says kratom is “mood-enhancing. I feel good, I feel optimistic."

Other advocates contend that kratom may be useful for chronic pain and even opiate withdrawal, though addiction treatment centers dispute that claim.

Sherif Halawani, a rehab outreach worker, told NBC that concentrated 7-OH products are particularly concerning, stating that tolerance builds quickly and withdrawal can be severe. Synthetic versions often have much stronger concentrations that plant-based kratom products, though there are wide variations in potency with no regulation of such products, all of which are illegal.

After finding three retailers in La Mesa illegally selling kratom, ECM reached out to La Mesa Police, asking to speak with the public information officer on why the city has not cracked down on blatantly illegal sales of kratom and synthetic kratom, but LMPD has not responded as of press deadline.

A La Mesa woman who asked that her name not be published told East County Magazine that her brother used kratom heavily near the end of his life, spending more than he could afford with no noticeable benefits. “It took all of his money,” she recalls, voicing frustration that several years later, the store that sold kratom to her brother is still blatantly advertising banned kratom products.

“I completely support the decision to make Kratom illegal,” she concludes.