Victim Of New Easily Accessible Opioid Was SF Biotech Company Employee: Report

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — A San Francisco man who died after consuming what city officials have referred to as "gas station heroin" was identified by authorities as a 37-year-old biotech company employee, according to a San Francisco Chronicle report.

Robert Schuldt, who worked for Genentech, is the first person in San Francisco to die from an accidental overdose related to MGM-15, a powerful and easily accessible synthetic opioid derived from kratom, according to the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

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Toxicology testing found MGM-15 in Schuldt's blood, and packaging amongst his belongings showed a package of tablets advertised as "uncaria tomentosa extract," also known as "cat's claw," health officials previously said.

Health officials have grown increasingly worried about the product's accessibility. Officials have said it can be found at smoke shops or gas stations across the city.

The semi-synthetic opioid is not approved for medical use; it is illegal to sell and ingesting too much can lead to death, health officials said. Although kratom is legal on a federal level, the FDA has placed it on its "drug and chemical of concern" list and warned Americans to avoid consuming it.

Kratom comes from an evergreen tree commonly found in Southeast Asia called Mitragyna speciosa.

The substance derived from the tree is often sold as a "natural remedy," but more studies are pointing to "significant risks," according to San Mateo County officials.

Earlier this year, San Mateo County became the first Bay Area county to ban the substance, with Supervisor Ray Mueller claiming it was "destroying lives up and down the state." Other counties, such as Los Angeles, have already taken similar actions to restrict kratom and 7-OH sales.

In San Francisco, police have launched coordinated efforts to combat the sale of these items across the city.

In the past two months, officers have served warrants at multiple smoke shops across the city, seizing several illegal products, including hundreds of products containing kratom, flavored vapes and psilocybin products, according to the San Francisco Police Department.

" SFPD will continue to prioritize efforts to address and enforce criminal activity and civil code violations, the selling of illegal products and substances, and the unpermitted sales to minors by holding violators accountable," the department said.

Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.