In a draft notice of intent to be published in the Federal Register on Monday, the federal agency says it will temporarily make 7-OH a Schedule I drug in the Controlled Substances Act, the same category as heroin.
The ban will apply to products that exceed specific limits of 7-OH and will be in place for two years, with the possibility of extending it by a third. The DEA claims that 7-OH “presents serious risks to public health, including tolerance, dependence, and addiction.”
The move is a major victory for the mainstream kratom industry, which has been fighting 7-OH with the support of government officials, including President Donald Trump.
Kratom is a Southeast Asian plant that has analgesic and antidepressant properties when taken in low doses. Natural Kratom contains small amounts of 7-OH. But in the past few years, there has been an explosion in the production and sale of unregulated 7-OH products, which can be far more potent than natural kratom products.
In May, Trump endorsed “natural 7-OH”, meaning kratom, saying the administration was considering “getting it approved”.
As WIRED previously reported, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin both have strong ties to the kratom industry. Kennedy is photographed with JW Ross, a convicted felon and founder of Botanic Tonic, which produces Feel Free – a brand of kratom drink that was subject to a federal raid in 2023. At the time, the FDA, which was involved in the raid, noted that there was insufficient information about whether kratom presented as a dietary supplement presented “a significant or unreasonable risk of disease or injury.” Mullin has invested up to $1 million in Botanic Tonic.
Many Feel Free consumers have claimed that their use has caused them to suffer severe withdrawal symptoms. In December, the Justice Department dropped its case against Botanic Tonic; Several months later, an LLC associated with Feel Free gave $500,000 to MAHA PAC.
DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment but a spokesperson previously told WIRED that Mullin “works to ensure full compliance with all ethics and conflict-of-interest regulations.”
7-OH has been dubbed “gas station heroin” by some because it activates mu-opioid receptors in the brain and therefore has potentially addictive properties. But even kratom products not marketed as 7-OH can cause similar problems when taken in high doses.
Kratom lobbyists are celebrating the proposed ban on 7-OH.
“This action by the DEA should end the debate,” Mac Haddo, senior fellow for public policy at the American Kratom Association, said in a press release. “Chemically manipulated 7-OH opioids are not kratom. They are dangerous products that took advantage of the reputation of the natural kratom leaf, misled consumers, and pose a threat to public health that responsible regulators can no longer ignore.”
The 7-OH industry is pushing back, arguing that there is no scientific basis for the ban, which will take effect after a 30-day public comment period.
“Hundreds of thousands of consumers are eager to share how 7-OH has helped them manage pain, return to work, care for their families, and reclaim their lives,” Jeff Smith, executive director of the Holistic Alternative Recovery Trust, a 7-OH advocacy group, said in an email statement.
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