The Drug Enforcement Administration is moving to temporarily place several synthetically concentrated kratom compounds—including 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), mitragynine pseudoindoxyl (MGPI), MGM-15, and MGM-16—under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. The action, announced earlier this year, would not affect natural kratom, which remains legal over the counter in most states.
These compounds occur naturally in the Southeast Asian kratom plant but only in trace amounts. The primary psychoactive component, mitragynine, is far milder. Since around 2010, however, products containing synthetically concentrated extracts have proliferated at gas stations and tobacco shops, earning the nickname “gas station opioid” because they bind to the same opioid receptors in the body.
The Department of Health and Human Services has endorsed the DEA’s scheduling push, issuing recommendations on how to determine which concentrations should be placed in Schedule I. Concerns intensified after products containing a blend of these compounds were found near the bodies of two deceased University of Mississippi students, though causes of death have not been determined.
Oliver Grundmann, a clinical professor at the University of Florida, told The Hill that scheduling these highly concentrated products is justified because Schedule I indicates no accepted medical use. “That is clearly not what any of these manufacturers that sell [7-OH] products want to do,” he said, “and therefore it is adequate at the moment, given what we know about [7-OH], to place it into controlled substances schedule.” While Grundmann questioned whether Schedule I is too severe—since it could limit future research—he agreed that products with higher concentrations of 7-OH or MGPI should not be sold over the counter.
Kratom industry representatives have stressed that federal authorities are not targeting natural herbal kratom, which has been sold commercially in the U.S. for decades. At low doses, kratom acts as a stimulant; at higher doses, it becomes depressant-like. It is traditionally used for pain management, and some people recovering from opioid use disorder use it to ease withdrawal. Grundmann noted that herbal kratom is self-limiting because of its unpleasant taste and gastrointestinal side effects at high doses.
Data on kratom toxicity remains limited, but Grundmann said there is some evidence that rising 7-OH sales have contributed to an increase in kratom-related calls to poison control centers. Kratom’s legal status varies widely: nine states have fully banned the herb, more than 30 regulate its sale with caps on 7-OH concentrations, and over a dozen others leave it in a legal gray area.
That ambiguity extends to who manufactures the synthetic derivatives. “It probably is in many cases illicit lab setups, or certainly gray area lab setups, that are… concentrating the psychoactive components of kratom,” Ty Schepis, a professor at Texas State University, told The Hill. “This is definitely not done in any kind of pharmaceutical company, very carefully done lab setup. These folks may be knowledgeable and professional in their own way, but it is either going to be illicit or certainly kind of gray area setups.”
Earlier this year, Schepis co-authored a study finding that more than 5 million Americans have used kratom in their lifetime, with the highest usage among those aged 21 to 34 and a strong association with cannabis use. He emphasized that kratom is not a commonly used drug compared to nicotine, alcohol, or cannabis. While not dismissing its potential therapeutic effects, particularly for opioid use disorder, Schepis noted there is no strong evidence supporting kratom as a medical treatment, likening the state of knowledge to that of cannabis.
As federal authorities advance the scheduling process, the debate continues over how to balance public health risks with potential benefits. Lawmakers have also weighed in, with some pushing for a federal ban on synthetic kratom compounds and others urging the DEA to finalize the ban after student deaths. The outcome will shape the legal landscape for a substance that straddles the line between herbal remedy and synthetic opioid.
