DEA Moves to Ban Synthetic Kratom Products

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced Wednesday it has filed notices to temporarily place 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) and three related substances into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) determined the substances have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.

“DEA believes these substances pose an imminent threat to public safety given their effects are highly unpredictable,” the DEA said in a statement. “Today’s action is part of a broader effort to combat the opioid epidemic and protect American families from dangerous synthetic drugs.”

The DEA said two Notices of Intent were sent to the Federal Register. One addresses 7-OH above a specified threshold, while the second would place three related substances—mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15 and MGM-16—into Schedule I.

Once the temporary scheduling orders take effect, the manufacture, distribution, sale, and possession of the covered 7-OH substances will become subject to criminal, civil, and administrative provisions of the Controlled Substances Act.

“Today’s action targets highly concentrated, synthetic 7-OH products, which pose a growing threat to public safety and health,” DEA Administrator Terrance Cole said in a statement. “Temporarily scheduling these substances underscores the emphasis this Administration has put on the safety, health, and well-being of the American people.”

Cole said the action gives law enforcement and public health partners additional tools to address what he called an emerging threat and thanked the Food and Drug Administration and HHS for their partnership.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the substances “are dangerous opioids that fuel addiction and put American lives at risk.”

“HHS reviewed the science and recommended this action,” Kennedy said. “The Trump Administration will continue using every available authority to stop these deceptive products, hold bad actors accountable, and protect American families.”

According to the DEA, 7-OH is a psychoactive substance with opioid-like effects and similar risks. The agency said the compound occurs naturally in trace amounts in the Mitragyna speciosa plant, a tropical evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia that is commonly used in religious or communal ceremonies.

The DEA said the temporary scheduling action does not apply to botanical kratom products containing naturally occurring 7-OH below a specified threshold. Instead, it targets synthesized products and products containing elevated concentrations of 7-OH outlined in the temporary scheduling order.

The agency said commercial products containing semi-synthetic 7-OH have proliferated in the United States and are widely marketed online and sold in gas stations, convenience stores, and smoke shops as powders, tablets, capsules, gummies, and dissolvable strips.

DEA laboratory findings indicate commercial products often contain higher amounts of 7-OH than occur naturally in botanical kratom, according to the agency.

Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-Pa.) urged the DEA in March to use its emergency authority to temporarily classify chemically manipulated 7-OH as a Schedule I controlled substance.

Bresnahan said synthetic 7-OH products produce opioid-like effects and pose significant addiction risks. He said emergency scheduling was needed to stop the rapid spread of the products while the DEA considered permanent scheduling.