The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has initiated action to temporarily place 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), a psychoactive compound associated with concentrated kratom products, into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), citing growing concerns over emerging public health risks in the United States.
7-Hydroxymitragynine, commonly known as 7-OH, is a naturally occurring alkaloid found in the Southeast Asian plant kratom (Mitragyna speciosa), although it is present only in relatively low concentrations in the plant itself. The growing concern is not primarily related to traditional kratom or products containing naturally low levels of 7-OH, but rather to highly concentrated 7-OH products that can contain substantially higher levels of the compound.
In concentrated forms, 7-OH is a potent psychoactive substance that acts on μ-opioid receptors—the same receptor system targeted by opioids such as morphine, oxycodone, and heroin.
Because kratom is not derived from the opium poppy, it is not officially classified as an opioid. However, its principal alkaloids, mitragynine and 7-OH, interact with opioid receptors and are often described as atypical opioids or partial opioid receptor agonists.
According to a study published in May this year, more than 5 million people in the United States have used kratom, including more than 100,000 children between the ages of 12 and 17.
In most states, kratom products can be readily purchased at gas stations and convenience stores in various forms, including capsules, tablets, powders, and liquid formulations. These products are often marketed as energy boosters, mood enhancers, pain relievers, or aids for alleviating symptoms associated with opioid withdrawal.
However, emerging data paint a very different picture.
According to a recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), kratom-related emergency department events increased by approximately 1,200% between 2015 and 2025. In 2025 alone, approximately 3,400 poisoning incidents associated with kratom were reported in the United States.
Kratom is not currently regulated at the federal level in the United States. However, more than a dozen states have taken measures to restrict access, including prohibiting the sale of kratom products to minors. Despite these restrictions, such products remain widely available online and on the shelves of gas stations, convenience stores, and smoke shops in many states, with limited controls over product composition, concentration, or dosage.
As of now, eight states—Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Vermont, Wisconsin, Connecticut, and Tennessee—have enacted comprehensive bans on kratom products. The number was previously nine, but advocates successfully encouraged Rhode Island lawmakers to repeal the state's ban in April.
Available health and surveillance data indicate that kratom use rose sharply in 2025. A search for “kratom” in Google News now returns numerous reports from local media outlets concerning kratom-related overdoses, addiction, withdrawal, and deaths. Oklahoma, for example, recorded 58 deaths associated with kratom between January 2025 and May 2026. Kratom and its active compounds are also appearing with increasing frequency in toxicology reports.
Nevertheless, significant uncertainty remains surrounding the regulatory classification of products sometimes referred to as “gas station heroin,” particularly as scientific research into their potential adverse effects is still developing.
“Kratom is not appropriate for use as a dietary supplement,” the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated in December of last year. The agency concluded, based on available information including scientific data, that kratom constitutes a new dietary ingredient and that there is insufficient information to reasonably ensure that its use would not present a significant or unreasonable risk of illness or injury.
Although the proposed scheduling would be temporary, placing 7-OH into Schedule I would put it in the same regulatory category as substances such as heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and mescaline.
Under U.S. federal law, Schedule I controlled substances are considered to have a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision.
Source: U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Refractor
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