By then, mum Susan Eppard had already noticed the empty $20 packets that littered his room, but was unaware of the dangers of a sinister substance dubbed 'gas station heroin', which is tearing families like hers apart. Elsewhere in America - where it is legal yet not federally regulated - the substance has been sinisterly dubbed ‘gas station heroin’ due to its proliferation on the shelves of grab-and-go shops. And Raylee, who managed to quit kratom more than six months ago, agrees: “It’s blown up.”She adds: “Before, it was just one specific gas station that sold them. “He had kratom in tea - his cup was in the sink.”She adds, sadly: “I hope there was no pain and no fear.”What is 'gas station heroin' kratom? “Kratom is sold as powders, capsules, and trendy ‘energy shots’ at gas stations, smoke shops, and online,” he says.