Experts say banned 7-0H products are different than other Kratom products

“Vape stores are popping up in every neighborhood in America, and many are selling addictive products like concentrated 7-OH,” Makary warned. The FDA is pushing to add the opioid-like ingredient to the federal controlled substances list. The synthetic byproduct isn’t legal in dietary supplements or food products. While 7-OH can be found naturally in kratom in small amounts, manufacturers have figured out how to supercharge it — boosting its concentrations in capsules, powders, liquids and edibles.

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They are often labeled as a dietary supplement to help with chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and opioid withdrawal. The FDA is particularly concerned with the growing market of 7-OH products that may be especially appealing to children and teenagers, such as fruit-flavored gummies and ice cream cones that aren’t clearly labeled as having 7-OH content. The ingredient is being used in products that are becoming increasingly available to purchase online and at smoke shops, the agency warned. Poison control centers in the U.S. received more than 3,400 reports about the use of kratom from 2014 to 2019, according to the Mayo Clinic.

There haven’t been any noteworthy conversations about a kratom ban in the U.S. This may be from the kratom itself or the drugs used alongside it. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the use and sale of kratom are banned or controlled in many countries.

• Natural 7-OH occurs in trace amounts in kratom leaves.
• At the time of his arrest in April, Clarke had a THC vape pen on him and a prescription for a painkiller often used for sports injuries, according to the dashcam audio.
• The FDA also warns people against taking kratom due to side effects such as nausea, constipation, dizziness, liver problems, and, in rare cases, death.
• Former NASCAR driver Jack Smith, who became addicted to Percocet after breaking his neck twice, credits kratom for helping him overcome opioid dependence and manage chronic pain.
• The FDA’s recommendation specifically targets concentrated and synthetic 7-OH products.

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High doses of kratom (5-15 grams) have effects similar to opioids and sedatives. Experts consider kratom an opioid-like substance because it affects your brain's opioid receptors. “There is an activating component to opioids, and that’s what people talk about with kratom,” Perrone said. When kratom first started gaining traction in the U.S. two decades ago, its popularity was largely fueled by people trying to quit opioids. Stanciu saw one patient who advanced from kratom to 7-OH to mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, in search of greater potency.

Trouville, who is now suing the manufacturer of the kratom drinks her son consumed, suspects that’s part of the reason his death certificate reflects mitragynine toxicity as his cause of death. In Florida, where Trouville’s son died, a local investigation the year before his death revealed that nearly 600 people over the last decade had died of kratom-related overdoses. According to the addiction treatment network Sprout Health Group, six states, including Rhode Island, have outlawed the sale and use of kratom. That’s partly because kratom’s relative newness makes it undetectable in standard drug testing.

Likewise, if it is taken with any other substances that cause sedation, it can worsen that effect and even lead to respiratory depression and breathing trouble. However, more research is needed to determine the effects of these dosage variations on the body in the short and long term. Higher doses between about 5 and 15 grams may have the opposite effect and may help relieve pain. Early studies suggest that doses below 5 grams of raw plant material may act as a stimulant, similar to caffeine. There is also a possibility of heart and kidney damage in certain people. Plus, it can cause addiction and withdrawal symptoms.

Kratom is federally legal in the United States. A free public resource for journalists, advocates, consumers, and state representatives. Notice of federal funding and federal disclaimer. During the next legislative session in January 2026, lawmakers will have to codify the ban on 7-OH. After the last wave of the opioid epidemic, we cannot get caught flat-footed again,” Makary stated last month. Kratom is also often used to self-treat conditions such as pain, coughing, diarrhea, anxiety and depression, according to the FDA.

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Some states ban kratom outright, while others regulate it through consumer protection frameworks. In June 2025, the FDA also issued warning letters to seven companies marketing concentrated 7-OH products. This marked the most aggressive federal action in relation to regulating the use of kratom compounds since the failed DEA scheduling attempt in 2016. Senate Minority Assistant Whip Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, who sponsored the law and has heavily advocated for a full kratom ban in the state, told Utah News Dispatch he believes the court reached the right conclusion. The kratom leaf, native to Southeast Asia, has been the center of controversy Alt Law nationally.

• Kratom leaf companies have tried to distinguish themselves as wholly different from 7-OH manufacturers, who disagree with such delineations.
• An herbal supplement that’s marketed as a cure-all for chronic pain and sold in gas stations and smoke shops is getting banned in communities across Southern California and the nation.
• Yes, kratom can cause liver problems such as acute liver injury and, in rare cases, acute liver failure.
• Natural kratom contains dozens of alkaloids, with 7-OH comprising less than 2% of total content.
• The rise of novel, semi‐synthetic 7‐hydroxymitragynine products.

In state-level kratom news, Tennessee’s House Bill 1649 — known as “Matthew Davenport’s Law” — was signed into law and takes effect July 1, 2026. The biggest national kratom news this week came from the U.S. The HOPE Act wants to test “ibogaine as a medication to treat opioid use disorder, co-occurring substance use disorder, and other neurological or mental health conditions for which ibogaine demonstrates efficacy.” When lawmakers banned kratom in Tennessee earlier this year, it became the eighth state to do so. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved kratom to be marketed as a drug, supplement, or food additive. “Some studies have found that some kratom sellers add more of the active ingredient than kratom naturally has,” the clinic says.