GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - For Brendon Burke, it wasn’t about getting high.

He is one of millions of Americans who struggle with insomnia, so he turned to an Upstate wellness shop to find relief. Instead, he found 7-OH, commonly advertised as concentrated or synthetic kratom.

“Sleeping, anxiety, focus, that was the selling points,” Burke said. “It looks nice. They did a really good job with the marketing on the packaging, on, you know, big ol tangerine picture and chewable… Nothing like ‘can cause death.’ They should just put that on the back, like take too much of this and you’re going to die or you’re going to end up in the hospital.”

At first, Brendon said the tablets did help him sleep – but he quickly felt like he needed more.

“I don’t even know how I got from an eight to,

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