Steve Robinson on 7-OH and Chinese Crime Networks in Rural Maine

Shawn Ryan sits down with journalist Steve Robinson, editor in chief of The Maine Wire, to talk about 7-OH, a synthetic opioid Robinson says is sold legally at gas stations, often as a flavored drink mix. The conversation also covers his reporting on Chinese organized crime networks and marijuana grow houses in rural Maine.

Key points

• Gas station opioid: Robinson says he found a drink mix near the studio with 15 mg of "lab tested" 7-OH, and compares its strength to prescription opioids.
• Regulation lags: he compares it to bath salts, saying chemists tweak a molecule just enough to dodge new laws.
• A $9 billion trade: Robinson cites Senator Markwayne Mullin's estimate of the industry's size.
• Maine ties: he describes finding shirts linked to a Chinese "benevolent association" at a drug house near his childhood home, close to a U.S. Army Reserve garrison.
• Arrests: he references a Carmel, Maine bust where thousands of marijuana plants were seized and several people were arrested.

Quick take

This is a dense conversation connecting a loophole drug to Robinson's reporting on foreign-linked criminal networks. The claims are his, and they're worth hearing from him directly.

Watch the full video: Shawn Ryan Show