Ban Kratom
In July 2026 the DEA banned half of the kratom molecule. The plant that makes the other half is still sold next to the energy drinks. FDPS is fighting for a kratom ban with one federal standard: the whole leaf.
7-OH has been Schedule I since July 1, 2026. Mitragynine, the leaf compound the body turns into 7-OH, has no federal standard at all.
- August 2016The DEA announces it will place kratom’s compounds in Schedule I as an “imminent hazard.”
- October 2016After an industry pressure campaign, the DEA withdraws the notice.
- July 2025The FDA recommends Schedule I for concentrated 7-OH only.
- July 1, 2026The DEA temporarily schedules 7-OH and three synthetic compounds. Not the plant. FDPS files comments.
- NextCongress and the agencies decide whether the whole leaf follows. That is the fight.
Kratom is an opioid sold as a supplement. Its two active compounds, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), bind to the same receptors as heroin and oxycodone. The Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions is leading the campaign for a federal kratom ban that covers the whole plant, not just its strongest extract.
One plant, two rules
The DEA’s July 2026 order was a real step, and FDPS supported it. It was also exactly the outcome the kratom lobby wanted.
7-OH and three synthetic compounds
The temporary order covers 7-hydroxymitragynine, mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15 and MGM-16: the concentrated tablets and shots that the industry itself called the “real” problem.
Mitragynine: the leaf itself
Leaf powders, capsules, extracts and drinks, most of the market, are sold in most states with no age limit, no dose standard and no federal rule. Every one of them delivers 7-OH once the liver does its work.
The American Kratom Association spent years arguing that concentrated 7-OH was the problem precisely so that the plant would be left alone. The body does not respect that line. A “natural leaf” product is a 7-OH delivery system with a slower fuse. That is why FDPS, in its formal comments to the DEA and HHS and in the bipartisan Senate letter it helped draft, asked regulators to schedule the whole kratom leaf.
Why the kratom ban has to cover the leaf
Ten years after the DEA first called kratom an imminent hazard, the numbers are in.
Overdose deaths involving kratom recorded by the CDC from 2020 through 2024. In many, kratom was one of several drugs. In others it was the only one.
Increase in kratom exposure reports to U.S. poison centers, from 258 in 2015 to 3,434 in 2025. Reported effects include seizures, liver injury and respiratory depression.
How much more potent than morphine 7-OH can be. Mitragynine, the “natural” compound, becomes 7-OH inside the body.
States that ban kratom outright, from Alabama to Wisconsin, with Connecticut, Kansas and Tennessee joining in 2026 and Massachusetts acting by emergency order in August. Without a federal standard, a 16-year-old’s access to an opioid depends on a state line.
The agency also should not allow the public to think that mitragynine, the other psychoactive constituent of kratom, is benign. Cocaine isn’t safe because crack is more dangerous.
Dr. Kevin A. Sabet, President and CEO, FDPS, August 2025
How the kratom lobby stalled a ban for ten years
- August 2016The DEA files notice of intent to place mitragynine and 7-OH in Schedule I as an “imminent hazard to public safety.”
- October 2016After an industry-organized pressure campaign, the DEA withdraws the notice. Thousands of overdose deaths follow.
- 2018The FDA publishes its own analysis: kratom’s compounds are opioids, and the public should not use it.
- July 2025The FDA recommends Schedule I for 7-OH only. FDPS applauds the step and asks the agency not to let the public believe mitragynine is benign.
- March 2026Eleven senators, led by Sens. Pete Ricketts and Richard Blumenthal, ask the FDA to schedule both 7-OH and the whole kratom leaf. FDPS helped draft the letter. Read it (PDF)
- May 2026The White House floats approving “natural 7-OH.”
- July 1, 2026The DEA temporarily schedules 7-OH and three synthetic kratom compounds. FDPS files formal comments urging Schedule I for 7-OH, tianeptine and the whole kratom leaf. FDPS statement
- August 2026Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey takes emergency action to restrict kratom products statewide. FDPS statement
- September 2026Two University of Mississippi students die; packaged kratom is found in both investigations, and the cause of death is not yet determined. FDPS urges families to understand the risks and Congress to act. FDPS statement
What FDPS is asking Congress and the agencies to do
Schedule the whole kratom leaf
Mitragynine and 7-OH in Schedule I until the science says otherwise, as the DEA proposed in 2016 and as eleven senators asked in 2026. Not half a molecule.
Enforce what is already illegal
7-OH products are Schedule I today and still on shelves. The DEA and state attorneys general should treat them like any other controlled substance.
End the “natural” marketing
Opium is natural. Cocaine is natural. The FTC and state consumer protection offices should treat health claims for an unapproved opioid the way they would for any other drug.
Fund research and treatment
Kratom use disorder is real and growing. Clinicians need guidance on withdrawal and overdose, and people who are dependent need a way out, not a criminal record.
Ready to help? Add your name to the Ban Kratom Now campaign, then write your representatives. Every name and every letter makes the kratom ban harder to stall again.
State kratom bans: a patchwork, not a policy
Without a federal standard, whether a teenager can buy an opioid at a gas station depends on which side of a state line the gas station sits. The list of states that ban kratom outright grows every session, while the industry pushes “Kratom Consumer Protection Acts” that cement its place on the shelf.
Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts (emergency order), North Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Wisconsin.
7-OH only
California, Colorado, Florida, Virginia. Leaf products stay legal.
Kratom ban: frequently asked questions
Is kratom legal?
Under federal law the kratom leaf and its main compound, mitragynine, are not controlled, so leaf products are legal to sell in most states. Concentrated 7-OH products have been Schedule I since July 1, 2026. About a dozen states ban kratom entirely, and four more ban only 7-OH.
Isn’t kratom natural?
So are opium and cocaine. Kratom’s compounds act on the same receptors as heroin and oxycodone, and the leaf converts to 7-OH inside the body. “Natural” says nothing about safety.
Didn’t the DEA already ban kratom?
No. The July 2026 order covers 7-OH and three synthetic compounds. The leaf products that make up most of the market are untouched. FDPS is asking for the whole plant to be scheduled, as the DEA itself proposed in 2016.
Which states have banned kratom?
As of September 2026, Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts (by emergency order), North Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont and Wisconsin ban kratom outright. California, Colorado, Florida and Virginia ban only 7-OH products, so leaf products stay legal there. The FDPS kratom briefing keeps the state-by-state map current.
Does FDPS want kratom users arrested?
No. Scheduling is aimed at the companies that manufacture and sell kratom as a supplement. People who have become dependent need treatment, and FDPS is asking Congress to fund it.
What about the “Kratom Consumer Protection Acts” states have passed?
They are industry-drafted laws that set age limits and labeling rules while keeping the product legal. In practice they cement kratom’s place on the shelf. That is why the kratom lobby supports them.
What should I do if someone overdoses on kratom?
Call 911. If the person is unresponsive or breathing slowly, naloxone may help and cannot hurt. Kratom is most dangerous when combined with alcohol, benzodiazepines or other drugs.
Tell President Trump: finish the job. Ban the whole plant.
The DEA banned 7-OH. Now ask the administration and Congress to schedule the kratom leaf too, before the next family finds out what “natural” means.
