Written by: Officer Jermaine Galloway, October 2026
The drug that just silently replaced the synthetic opioid 7-OH.
Cat's Claw is the new trend to watch, as it is flooding our communities. A recent scan near major universities reveals something about this drug! During community scans in early 2026, I began documenting something that deserves A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT of attention: products labeled “Cat’s Claw,” “Uncaria tomentosa,” or “botanical extract,” showing up in smoke shops alongside products historically associated with kratom and 7-OH. The pictures from these scans tell the story and draw a clear picture. I am seeing brightly flavored chewable tablets, single-dose packets, blister packs, and bottles marketed in strengths ranging from 100 mg and 150 mg to 200 mg per tablet, and packages advertising 800, 1,000, 2,000 and even 10,000 mg. Some carry +21 warnings, addiction warnings, serving instructions as small as 1/8 of a tablet, and language such as “lab tested.”
First, what is REAL Cat’s Claw?
Real cat’s claw is not some newly discovered smoke-shop drug. Cat’s claw (Uncaria tomentosa) is a woody vine native to rainforest and other tropical areas. It has a history of traditional use and has long been sold in the United States as an herbal supplement but there is no research at this time to back some of the claims.
That distinction is extremely important. Real Uncaria tomentosa should not be confused with a product simply carrying the words “Cat’s Claw” on its package that is now trending in smoke shops and gas stations. THEY ARE TWO VERY DIFFERENT PRODUCTS!
So why is Cat’s Claw suddenly in smoke shops?
This is where the trend becomes much more interesting—and concerning.
As regulations and recent media coverage attention has intensified around kratom, 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), and newer kratom-derived compounds, a new category of products marketed as cat’s claw has emerged in the same retail environment backfilling the 7-OH and Kratom products. During multiple scans in various states the clerks are openly saying “it has replaced Kratom and 7-O.” This is not a secret in the drug world and it literally is sitting in the same space that 7-O occupied for the last few years! Clerks are also admitting that Cat’s Claw is very popular. Current distributors are offering concentrated Uncaria tomentosa tablets specifically to smoke and vape shops, while specialty 7-OH retailers are selling cat’s claw products right alongside 7-OH products.
And we now have something much stronger than speculation.
In July 2026, the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food and Utah Poison Control Center issued a warning after laboratory testing of products marketed as “Buzzers Cat’s Claw” detected mitragynine pseudoindoxyl and MGM-15. Those are opioid-acting compounds related to kratom chemistry—not ordinary cat’s-claw ingredients. Utah authorities reported that the products were associated with several serious incidents and a death. Why don’t we have more states sending out info like this? Currently, this drug is not on the radar of many local authorities and therefore we are not testing or looking for these compounds. I can put it to you this way. I began training on Cat’s Claw this summer, introducing my findings to classes across the country. 99% of my class attendees (professionals) did not know what this drug was. So how do we begin looking for or testing for a drug we don’t even know exists!
More recently, in September 2026, the Virginia Department of Health issued a warning that products marketed as “cat’s claw” and sold at gas stations, convenience stores, vape shops, and online were found to contain unlabeled kratom alkaloids and synthetic kratom derivatives, including 7-OH (7-hydroxymitragynine).
Is Cat’s Claw itself being turned synthetic? Not exactly.
This is an important distinction for professionals.
We should not say that manufacturers are necessarily “turning cat’s claw into a synthetic drug.” The evidence supports a more precise—and arguably more concerning—description: some products marketed under the Cat’s Claw name have been found adulterated with, or containing, opioid-active kratom-derived compounds that are not disclosed as such on the label.
So think of this as three different categories that should not be lumped together:
- Real Cat’s Claw: Uncaria tomentosa, the traditional botanical.
- Concentrated Cat’s Claw products: extracts or “alkaloid complexes” claiming to derive from Uncaria tomentosa. What those proprietary complexes actually contain cannot necessarily be determined from the front label.
- Adulterated/mislabeled “Cat’s Claw” products: Products in which testing has identified compounds such as mitragynine pseudoindoxyl and MGM-15, despite their being sold under a cat’s-claw identity.
That last distinction is important. A package saying “Uncaria tomentosa” does not establish that everything active in that tablet came from Uncaria tomentosa. Only appropriate lab testing can answer that question. Keep in mind all labs do not test for some of these compounds.
The connection to KRATOM and 7-OH
This may be the most important part of the emerging trend that I am noticing.
Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) and cat’s claw (Uncaria tomentosa) are different plants. They should not be treated as interchangeable. Meanwhile, 7-OH is 7-hydroxymitragynine, an opioid-active kratom alkaloid that occurs naturally only at low levels in kratom leaf but is now being sold in highly concentrated synthesized products. FDA warns that enhanced 7-OH products are potent opioid products associated with addiction, seizures, withdrawal and other serious adverse effects.
What we appear to be watching now is another trend shift that clearly the drug world was prepared for. We’ve watched the marketplace evolve from traditional kratom to concentrated extracts, then to high-concentration 7-OH products, newer kratom-derived and synthetic compounds, and now products marketed under entirely different botanical identities. That does not mean every product marketed as cat’s claw follows this same progression or contains a synthetic drug. The reality is, without laboratory testing of each product, we simply cannot know exactly what is inside. What we do know is that products marketed as cat’s claw are increasingly appearing in smoke and vape shops where 7-OH products were previously sold—and some are being purchased by consumers seeking opioid-like effects. We can no longer assume that the botanical name printed on the front of a package tells the full chemical story of what is actually inside.
And this is exactly why community scans matter. I first began identifying this trend in the spring of 2026, and in just a matter of months, it has grown from an emerging observation into a trend being reported across multiple states. I am now receiving emails and information from law enforcement officers, narcotics investigators, school resource officers, and other professionals who are encountering these products in their communities.
What is especially concerning is the apparent gap between what is being identified in the field and broader awareness within the medical community. These products may already be presenting in healthcare settings without being recognized by the names, packaging, or formulations being used in the retail marketplace. That is why early identification, product documentation, photographs, testing, and information-sharing are so important—we have to recognize the trend before we can effectively educate others about it.
Look closely at these photos. Berry Punch. Great Grape. Very Cherry. Small packages, inexpensive entry price points, milligram numbers prominently displayed, +21 symbols, chewable tablets, proprietary “alkaloid” language and placement in the same retail ecosystem where we have documented kratom and 7-OH products.
One of the photographed products even carries a remarkable warning stating “ADDICTIVE” and lists possible effects including withdrawal symptoms, hallucinations, breathing difficulties and death—while the Supplement Facts panel identifies Cat’s Claw/Uncaria tomentosa extract. That discrepancy alone should make prevention professionals, toxicologists,
And when you see CAT’S CLAW, don’t simply record the name. Look at the front AND back, milligrams, serving size, ingredient panel, warnings, manufacturer/distributor, QR code, batch number, price, and exactly where it was positioned in the store.
Because increasingly, the name on the front of the package may only be the beginning of the story.
Now there has been some recent news media on drug overdoses at Ole Miss University. Per many news outlets such as Fox News, “Packaging found near both students bears the name Modus, according to court documents. The affidavit describes the tablets as Smax Pseudo-DHM, and lists pseudoindoxyl and MGM-15(DHM) among the ingredients on the pack found near Hamilton”.
Kratom, 7-O and 7-O Pseudo are marketed as different substances, most importantly with Kratom being a plant and the 7-hydroxy-mitragynine, aka 7-O that is being sold over the counter being a synthetic opioid or possibly a semi-synthetic.
Like you, I don’t have more details or confirmation from toxicology testing which is needed to confirm what really happened. We are all following the info that many of the news outlets are putting out. https://www.wvlt.tv/2026/09/
This is why my recent findings are more important than ever. Below is info and my recent finding of Cat’s Claw as I conducted scans near two MAJOR universities over the last couple of weeks, one in Tennessee and the other in Ohio. I wanted to do scans in two different states that have possibly removed 7-O abd 7-O pseudo in their states and near universities. I also wanted to highlight non-neighboring states that really didn’t relate to each other and were in different regions of the country.
🚨 TENNESSEE STORE SCAN: LOOK PAST THE PACKAGING 🚨
A community scan in Tennessee revealed Cat’s Claw everywhere! I found it in several different gas stations and smoke shops all in the area of impact on university students. Tennessee recently banned Kratom and 7OH, and many of the clerks during this scan verbalized that! They went on to say that “Cat’s Claw has replaced 7-O” and “it is popular”!
As I mentioned earlier I began locating Cat’s Claw around the start of the year 2026. I found it during several different scans in almost all of the states I conducted scans in. This means you are almost 100% selling this currently in your state! For the states that have banned 7-O or Kratom Cat’s Claw popularity rose quickly in your state, and it backfilled the ban.
Now look at how it’s being marketed in these photos (which were taken last month near major universities). I have found Cat’s Claw products advertising 150 mg per tablet, 200 mg per tablet, 2,000 mg per tablet, and even 3,000 mg per tablet on the front. One package says a tablet represents multiple servings. The back labels also contain unusually strong warnings, including references to addiction, hallucinations, breathing difficulties, withdrawal symptoms, and death.
Let's now talk about the Ohio STORE SCAN…
You can basically take just about everything I just said in the paragraphs above and relate that to Ohio. To be honest almost everyone who reads this post can take those details and relate them to your own state and community. Basically, this trend has been and is in your own backyard and is quietly and rapidly expanding as we are watching all the news on Kratom. As I like to say in class, other parts of the drug world would like to say, “ Don’t look over here; keep looking over there…there is nothing to see here”. One other thing about Cat’s Claw in Ohio did stand out to me. A few of the brands did not list most of the substances we are looking for on the back of the package. But their price points match prices I see with those other substances!
Finally, here is where we are. There is a new drug in town, and most don’t know it. We must educate rapidly and begin testing so we have an idea of what we are really dealing with.
"You Can't Stop What You Don't Know"
⚠️ And that raises a major question: WHY?
Those warnings are not what you would expect simply from traditional cat’s claw. The photographs alone cannot establish what chemicals are actually inside these products, but they do highlight red flags that should not be ignored. A label saying Uncaria tomentosa does not prove that the product contains only that botanical, nor does “lab tested” tell you what was tested for, by whom, or what the results were. Determining that would require independent laboratory analysis.
There is much we DO NOT KNOW about these products being sold on your shelves, and I can tell you this. During my recent classes, I have been highlighting Cat’s Claw, and less than 5% of my current class attendees, who are mostly professionals, know what this drug is. Furthermore, only toxicology testing will really reveal what we are up against as far as substances in these packages.
Here is a recent news article from the state of Utah https://www.abc4.com/news/health/experts-speak-mislabeled-kratom-linked-to-death/
As we track the current news cycle on possible Kratom or 7-OH overdoses and fatalities, it is important to know that Cat’s Claw is already trending in your community, and more likely, more products are on the way!
For those attending the Emerging Drug Trends Conference in Dallas next month and upcoming TCSS trainings, I will be diving much deeper into this topic.
Remember, “You Can’t Stop What You Don’t Know.” The drug landscape isn’t just changing substances anymore.
It’s changing names. It’s changing formulations. It’s changing packaging. And it’s changing faster than many people realize.
LOOK PAST THE OBVIOUS.
- The Tall Cop