The Drug Enforcement Administration is moving to temporarily outlaw a range of synthetic kratom compounds, placing them in the most restrictive category of controlled substances—the same classification as heroin and LSD. The agency announced Wednesday that it intends to schedule 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) and three related substances as Schedule I drugs, meaning they have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.
The emergency ban will apply to any product containing 0.05 percent or more of 7-OH by dry weight, or more than 1 milligram of the compound. The order is effective for two years, with a possible one-year extension. Alongside 7-OH, the DEA is also temporarily scheduling three synthetic analogs—MGM-15, MP, and MGM-16—which are not found in nature. These compounds have been turning up in candies, tablets, and liquid shots sold online and in retail stores, often marketed as kratom extracts despite being synthetic opioids.
“7-OH presents severe risks to public health, including tolerance, dependence, and addiction,” the DEA said in a statement. The agency emphasized that it is not targeting traditional botanical kratom products, which are derived from the leaves of a tree native to Southeast Asia and contain only trace amounts of 7-OH. Instead, the crackdown is aimed at highly concentrated synthetic versions that regulators say pose an imminent threat.
Public health and addiction advocacy groups applauded the move. Shatterproof, a nonprofit focused on ending addiction, called it “an important and long-overdue step toward addressing the rapid proliferation of highly potent, chemically modified kratom-related products that have outpaced existing regulatory safeguards.”
The action also represents a win for the mainstream kratom industry, which has been lobbying against the spread of 7-OH products with backing from key Trump administration officials. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. issued a statement commending the DEA, saying, “7-OH, MP, MGM-15, and MGM-16 are dangerous opioids that fuel addiction and put American lives at risk. HHS reviewed the science and recommended this action.”
The Food and Drug Administration has long warned consumers against kratom use and formally recommended last year that 7-OH be listed as a Schedule I substance due to its opioid-like properties. The agency has not approved kratom for any medical use and cites risks including liver toxicity, seizures, and substance use disorder.
Regulators are particularly concerned about the growing market for 7-OH products that appeal to children and teenagers, such as fruit-flavored gummies and ice cream cones. The DEA noted that the synthetic compounds “pose an imminent threat to public safety given their effects are highly unpredictable.”
Kratom has been a point of contention in statehouses as well. Tennessee and Kansas are moving to ban kratom amid rising concerns over addictive compounds, reflecting a broader regulatory push. Meanwhile, the FDA has cleared a third over-the-counter naloxone spray as opioid deaths drop sharply, signaling ongoing efforts to combat the opioid crisis.
The DEA’s scheduling action targets only synthesized products and those with elevated 7-OH concentrations, leaving traditional kratom leaves and powders untouched. But the agency has listed kratom as a “drug of concern,” and the debate over its regulation is far from settled.
