The DEA Plans to Ban Opioid-Like Kratom Compound 7-OH
Key takeaways
- The ban would apply to products that go over a specific threshold of 7-OH and would be applicable for two years, with the potential to extend it for a third.
- The move is a major win for the mainstream kratom industry, which has been fighting 7-OH with the backing of government officials, including President Donald Trump.
- Kratom is a Southeast Asian plant that has analgesic and antidepressant properties when taken in low doses.
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Photo-Illustration: WIRED Staff; Getty Images Comment Loader Save Story Save this story Comment Loader Save Story Save this story The Drug Enforcement Administration plans to temporarily ban 7-OH, a component of kratom that has opioid-like effects and is sold in gas stations and smoke shops around 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 category as heroin.
The ban would apply to products that go over a specific threshold of 7-OH and would be applicable for two years, with the potential to extend it for a third. The DEA claims 7-OH “presents severe risks to public health, including tolerance, dependence and addiction.”