The Drug Enforcement Administration plans to ban the opioid-like 7-OH compound kratom

Enforcement of drug laws The administration plans to temporarily ban 7-OH, an ingredient in kratom that has opioid-like effects and is sold at gas stations and smoke shops across the country in the form of gummies, drinks and capsules.

In a draft notice of intent in the Federal Register, scheduled to be published Monday, the federal agency says it will temporarily make 7-OH a Schedule I drug in the Controlled Substances Act, the same class as heroin.

The ban will apply to products exceeding a specific limit of 7-OH and will be applicable for two years, with the possibility of being extended for a third period. The DEA claims that 7-OH “presents severe public health risks, including tolerance, dependence, and addiction.”

The move is a major win for the mainstream kratom industry, which has been fighting 7-OH with the support of government officials, including President Donald Trump.

Kratom is a plant from Southeast Asia that has analgesic and antidepressant properties when taken in low doses. Natural kratom contains trace amounts of 7-OH. But in the past few years, there has been an explosion in the production and sales of unregulated 7-OH products, which can be much more effective than natural kratom products.

In May, Trump endorsed “Natural 7-OH,” meaning kratom, saying the administration was looking to “get that approved.”

As WIRED previously reported, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullen have strong ties to the kratom industry. Kennedy was photographed with J.W. Ross, a convicted felon and founder of Botanic Tonics, which produces Feel Free, a brand of kratom drinks that was the subject of a federal raid in 2023. At the time, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which participated in the raid, noted that there was insufficient information about whether kratom, which is marketed as a dietary supplement, posed a “significant or unreasonable risk of illness or injury.” Mullen invested up to $1 million in Botanic Tonics.

Many Feel Free consumers have claimed to experience crippling withdrawal symptoms associated with its use. 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.

In response to a request for comment, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told WIRED that Mullen “follows all ethics and conflict of interest standards and has not lobbied for any individual or company. As a Senator, Markwayne Mullen fought alongside Secretary Kennedy to regulate 7-OH, a synthetic drug marketed to children in stores via deceptive packaging.”

Some have called 7-OH “gas station heroin” because it activates opioid receptors in the brain and therefore has potentially addictive qualities. But even kratom products that are not marketed as 7-OH can cause similar problems when taken in higher doses.

Kratom lobbyists celebrate proposed ban on 7-OH.

“This DEA action should put the debate to rest,” Mac Haddow, a senior public policy fellow for the American Kratom Association, said in a press release. “Chemically processed 7-OH opioids are not kratom. They are dangerous products that have exploited the reputation of natural kratom leaves, misled consumers, and created a public health threat that responsible regulators can no longer ignore.”

The 7-OH industry is pushing back, arguing 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.