kratom legality

DEA Issues Order to Ban Mitragynine Pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, and MGM-16

On August 24 the DEA announced an order to place mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, and MGM-16 on Schedule I of the federal list of controlled substances for a period of two years. The announcement in part said: The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is issuing this temporary order to schedule three 7-hydroxymitragynine-related substances (mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, and …

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DEA Announces Temporary 7-OH Ban; Public Comment Period Underway

On July 6, the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) published a notice in the Federal Register that it intends to place 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) on Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. This is an emergency rule that would temporarily place covered 7-OH products in Schedule I for up to two years while the DEA …

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Scientists Find Kratom Alkaloids in Products Marketed as Kava in Alabama

In a study published June 30 in Clinical Toxicology, scientists found mitragynine, 7-hydroxymitragynine, and mitragynine-pseudoindoxyl in three liquid shot products being sold as “kava” in Alabama. Alabama law specifically lists mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine as Schedule I controlled substances. Though mitragynine-pseudoindoxyl is not specifically listed as a controlled substance in the state, it is controlled as …

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Kratom Will Be Banned In Kansas and Tennessee Starting July 1

Beginning July 1, laws designating kratom as a Schedule I controlled substance will take effect in both Kansas and Tennessee. In March, Kansas legislators added a last-minute kratom ban into a bill having nothing to do with kratom (HB2365 originally entitled “Establishing the south central regional mental health hospital”). The bill passed both the Kansas …

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Ohio Board of Pharmacy’s Controversial New Kratom Rules

In a ruling the American Kratom Association (AKA) called “brutal”, the Ohio Board of Pharmacy mandated that while natural dried leaf kratom will remain legal, the same kratom sold in capsules will be classified as Schedule I substances, along with kratom in liquid form. Major liquid extract brands that have been marketed in gas stations …

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Trump Says His Administration is Looking to Approve “Natural 7-OH”

Following a White House meeting on drug policy on Monday, May 11, 2026, President Donald Trump told a small group of reporters, “We’re looking very seriously at natural 7‑OH and getting that approved.” In 2025, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert Kennedy gave a press …

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FDA Study on Kratom Published

A long-awaited kratom clinical study conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been published in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. The pilot study (defined as “a preliminary investigation designed to test the feasibility and design of a larger, more comprehensive study”) involved healthy adult participants who were administered an ascending dose of …

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Is 7-OH Really “13 times stronger than morphine”?

Multiple news media and even medical professionals have repeated the claim that 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) is “13 times stronger than morphine” as though it is a fact established through rigorous science. Where does this claim come from and how accurate is it? The claim comes from studies from 2002 (Takayama, et al) and 2004 (Matsumoto, et …

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Pike County is the Latest Illinois Locale to Ban Kratom

On Februrary 24, officials in Pike County, Illinois voted unanimously to ban the sale of kratom and criminalize citizens in possession of it. “I commend the local community and our state’s attorney for bringing it forward, just trying to get ahead of the situation,” said Pike County Board Chairwoman Reta Hoskin. This is the second …

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Tupelo Convenience Store Owner Appeals Kratom Ban

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 …

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