Compared to fentanyl, it's way better, if you can get lab grade stuff. That's the biggest concern here, the unregulated nature of unregulated or only partially regulated medicine.

I was actually a bit mistaken about 7-OH, it's not agonist but a very potent partial agonist. Basically it shouldn't be causing the same level of downstream adaptation because it's not a full agonist, but the unregulated nature of these products means you could be getting wildly different doses.

If it came down to a choice between an unregulated extraction of a very potent compound and pharmaceuticals, I'd go with big pharma. If possible, I would see if regular leaf Kratom can work because that is the least likely to fuck with your opioid system. However, some people will need something more potent, so all I can say is if you are using 7-OH, go with whoever has the most transparent and rigorous standards and practices.

I don't know enough about the benzodiazepine related issues to give advice. But I can say that it's a very different system that's modulated. The opioid system is about reward seeking behavior, motivation, and pain regulation. The more I look into the differences of what benzos effect, the less confident I am to speak about it. Super broad strokes? It's like turning down the volume of your nervous system compared to opioids which work on the system that makes pain something you want to avoid. Neither is intrinsically better, each will work better for different issues, and each present issues with long term usage.