Overview
- Attorney General James Uthmeier signed an emergency rule on Monday that adds multiple 7‑OH–related compounds to a banned list and places them in Schedule I to enable seizures and felony prosecutions.
- The rule names specific chemicals — including 7‑hydroxymitragynine, mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, 7‑acetoxymitragynine, 9‑ and 10‑hydroxycorynantheidine, MGM‑15, and MGM‑16 — and caps each at 1 milligram per gram or milliliter while requiring any product that contains them to have at least 100 times more mitragynine by mass.
- Florida agriculture inspectors have removed roughly 23,000 packages of concentrated 7‑OH products since last year and officials say violators face penalties of up to 30 years in prison under the expanded rule.
- Kratom industry groups dispute the state’s evidence, pointing to FDA reports they say show few or no confirmed deaths tied solely to 7‑OH, while families and medical examiners link concentrated derivatives to many fatal overdoses.
- The action follows years of concern about kratom extracts and builds on past state orders; public health officials say the new rule aims to close chemical workarounds and lawmakers may be asked to make the restrictions permanent.