Mohamed Gamiel, owner of Sarah Quick Stop and Liquor Corner Store in Tupelo, MS, has filed an appeal of the town’s recent decision to ban the manufacture, sale, and possession of kratom. The appeal was filed last week in Lee County Circuit Court. Gamiel argues in his appeal that Tupelo’s kratom ban is arbitrary, unsupported …
Tupelo Convenience Store Owner Appeals Kratom Ban Read More »
UPDATED MARCH 9, 2026 Note: This article lists only the bills that will potentially ban plain leaf kratom. Other bills not covered here, such as kratom consumer protection acts (KCPA), will ban all products containing more than a certain percentage (typically 2%) of 7-hyrdroxymitragynine (7-OH). Other measures, such as the emergency rule in Florida, are …
Kratom Under Attack: New 2026 Bills Aim to Criminalize Consumers Across the U.S. Read More »
Governor Andy Beshear of Kentucky announced that he is taking action to place 7-hydroxymitragynine on the list of Schedule I substances in Kentucky. The move will classify 7-OH in the same category as heroin, criminalizing 7-OH consumers in the bluegrass state. If it is determined that a substance poses an imminent threat to public safety, …
Vanguard Enterprises, LLC, doing business as Bedrock MFG and operating out of Boise, Idaho, has issued a voluntary nationwide recall of its “Monarch Premium Kratom” products after a sample tested positive for Salmonella, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed on October 31. The recall covers four specific product varieties of the Monarch Premium Kratom …
Kratom Products Recalled Due to Salmonella Concerns Read More »
Last week, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced it has seized $5 million worth of kratom and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) products, despite no law explicitly prohibiting kratom and 7-OH in the state. Grant Boyken of CDPH told SFGATE the products were placed under embargo “pending further regulatory actions”. Boyken cited California’s Sherman Food, Drug, …
California Dept of Public Health Seizes Kratom Despite Lack of Prohibition Laws Read More »
Governor Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) is urging the Ohio Board of Pharmacy (BOP) to classify kratom as a Schedule I substance. This comes just weeks after the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recommendation that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) schedule 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), an alkaloid that occurs in trace amounts in plain leaf kratom and as a …
Ohio Governor Calls for State Kratom Ban; Cites Recent FDA Recommendation Read More »
A wave of negative media coverage (more than usual) has engulfed kratom in the weeks following the FDA’s July 29 recommendation to classify 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) as an illicit substance. While the agency’s move targets products containing an abundance of 7-OH—not the plain leaf kratom that contains near-zero amounts of 7-OH—news outlets have blurred the distinction, …
Wave of Negative News Engulfs Kratom Since FDA Move to Schedule 7-OH Read More »
On Tuesday, July 29, officials including Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary announced via a press conference the FDA’s intent to recommend to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) be scheduled as a controlled substance. Several times during …
The kratom industry is railing against 7-OH products as problematic, but are extra-strength kratom extracts problematic too? The controversy surrounding the rise of new 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) products has sparked a debate among various players in the kratom industry, as well as scientists and consumers. A debate called “The 7-OH Fault Line” took place at the …
Members of the American Kratom Association (AKA) and the Holistic Alternative Recovery Trust (HART) will debate the controversial alkaloid 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) and the 7-OH-abundant products that have become available to consumers in the past 2 years. Billed as “The 7-OH Fault Line”, the debate will take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center 3150 Paradise …
AKA and HART Face Off Over 7-Hydroxymitragynine This Friday Read More »