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But with action by the Food and Drug Administration and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the tide on kratom may finally be turning. When someone she trusted recommended a Feel Free tonic that contained kratom, she bought it from a local CBD store in 2021. The Coleman Institute in Richmond said at the beginning of this year that 75% of their calls were related to kratom and 7-OH. RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia is cracking down on kratom and a stronger chemical compound linked to it after Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed a new bill into law Tuesday. “It is a laboratory-produced version that uses the active ingredient which is mitragynine and multiplies it in strength dramatically as much as a hundred times and it makes 7-OH basically an opioid like any other opioid,” said Steck.
- After the FDA’s news conference, “I almost started crying,” she says.
- The ban comes after similar ordinances approved in Newport Beach, San Diego and Oceanside, among other cities.
- There is no definitive guideline for the treatment of kratom dependence.
RFK Jr. launches crackdown on kratom — the ‘legal morphine’ substance often found in smoke shop products
- Makary also made clear during that same news conference that the organization’s focus is on 7-OH, not kratom overall.
- Lead poisoning is a lesser-known threat that can have irreversible negative health impacts on children.
- After years of demonizing kratom as an addictive, opioid-like substance with no approved medical use, federal health officials are finally acknowledging the herbal supplement could actually be used to treat opioid addiction.
- The FDA recently recommended that the kratom compound 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) be classified as an illegal drug under the Controlled Substances Act.
- Current federal and state actions specifically target concentrated 7-OH products, not natural kratom leaf.
- The Oliveiras’ lawsuit is the latest in a series blaming suppliers and manufacturers for kratom-induced overdoses.
However, according to court documents, a judge found the company “failed to show a likelihood of success on their legal arguments that federal law preempts any relevant part of the Kratom Regulation Act.” A federal judge denied the company’s request for an injunction on Monday. Create, distribute, and amplify your news to the most trusted media outlets on a single platform. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The DEA's response to the FDA's scheduling recommendation will set the tone at the federal level. A public comment period is expected before any decision.
As long as manufacturers and vendors don’t make medical claims about them, kratom and 7-OH can be sold legally as far as the federal government is concerned. Mac Haddow, Senior Fellow on Public Policy for the American Kratom Association, a group of natural leaf kratom vendors, said that was a misleading take on what the president said. A HART news release said the president was endorsing all forms of 7-OH, even the concentrated products that contain as much as 96% 7-OH. Supporters of natural leaf kratom said the president was referring to the trace amount of 7-OH – usually no more than 2% – found in unadulterated kratom. That is a reference to 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), an alkaloid in kratom that has pain relieving and mood enhancing qualities.
Healthcare-Associated Infections
However, Kratom is not listed as a banned substance but is simply unsafe for humans. The AMA promotes the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health. Get the latest medical news, policy updates and professional resources delivered directly to your inbox. The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises and, driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care.

How Can I Be Sure My Kratom Shop Has Quality Kratom?
As News 12 has reported, Nassau County passed its own bill banning the sale of kratom products in March. Camden Ackerman, of Wading River, shared his story with News 12 on addiction to kratom products. “As I understand it, from people who are familiar with the President's view on this, that he was speaking about natural kratom, as opposed to synthetic or chemically manipulated 7-OH,” Haddow told PNN. 7-OH vendors maintain that their products are “natural” since they contain an alkaloid that occurs naturally in kratom and is produced by the human body itself. “And because kratom products lack clear labels, it’s not possible to know how much kratom people who use it take.”
News stations reported that drug paraphernalia was found at the scene. Arkansas outlawed the plant a decade ago – long before Clarke crossed into the state in April on his way to show off his new supercharged Corvette ZR1. After the FDA's news conference, "I almost started crying," she says.
First reverse-aging drug injected into human
A new University of Virginia Health analysis shows a sharp rise in kratom-related calls to poison centers across the United States. These drugs are addictive like an opioid.” And that’s led a growing number of people to move on to 7-OH and the stronger, but less prevalent, mitragynine pseudoindoxyl.

Jason, a man in Florida who has struggled with addictions to both kratom and heroin, says the effects of the substances − as well as their withdrawals − felt very similar. For others, using products with kratom became a gateway to using products with synthetic 7-OH. Medical experts tell USA TODAY that all kratom products carry risk for addiction, not just ones marketed with 7-OH, though those products are often stronger.
“7-OH is an opioid that can be more potent than morphine," said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary. "We need regulation and public education to prevent another wave of the opioid epidemic.” Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Investigators are also tracking down out-of-state distributors who are shipping the products into Alabama. "It's very addictive. Quitting brings withdrawals, muscle aches and anxiety. Some people get it bad enough that they need medical help to quit." Officials say the products are especially dangerous because of how they are marketed. Despite this, officials say huntington blogs the products came "roaring back" this spring.
