Overview
- The DEA filed intent Wednesday to temporarily schedule 7‑hydroxymitragynine (7‑OH) and three related synthetics and the notices are set to publish in the Federal Register on July 6 with a public comment window through July 31.
- The proposed control would ban products that exceed a 7‑OH threshold of 0.050% by dry weight or contain more than 1 milligram of 7‑OH and would let the DEA issue a temporary Schedule I order about 30 days after publication that could last up to two years.
- HHS and the FDA say the action is meant to hit concentrated and lab‑made products rather than ordinary kratom leaf, but some reports note the rule language could cover botanical kratom that exceeds the numeric threshold.
- Federal agencies point to public‑health data behind the move, including 165 poison control exposures to 7‑OH from January through July 2025 with about 35 percent judged serious, and Johnson County, Kansas, officials report several 7‑OH–linked deaths in 2026.
- If finalized, the temporary Schedule I designation would make manufacture, distribution, sale and possession of the targeted products subject to federal criminal, civil and administrative penalties and is expected to force retailers and producers to remove or dispose of affected items while states continue to vary in their own rules.