This supplement is being banned across the U S. What to know about synthetic kratom Los Angeles Times

This supplement is being banned across the U S. What to know about synthetic kratom Los Angeles Times

It’s more potent than morphine and has led to overdoses requiring Narcan. In the U.S., kratom is legal in nearly all states and not federally regulated. “In South America, people chew coca leaves (used to make cocaine) for a stimulant effect,” nraes says Michael Moss, MD, the director of the Utah Poison Control Center. Its leaves have been used for centuries for their mild stimulant effects, similar to caffeine. During the next legislative session in January 2026, lawmakers will have to codify the ban on 7-OH. An estimated 1.7 million Americans ages 12 and older used kratom in 2021, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Kratom Effects

• Seven of those states have also banned kratom, although Rhode Island recently overturned its prohibition.
• Available widely in gas stations and convenience stores across the US, the opioid-like substance is drawing scrutiny for its potent effects and high risk of abuse.
• Many people who use kratom also use it with other drugs or substances.
• The American Kratom Association, which has fought restrictions on the plant for years, praised the FDA’s crackdown on 7-OH.
• Some policymakers and public health officials warn that kratom carries risks of addiction, contamination, and adverse health effects, while some advocates argue that regulated access can provide an alternative for people seeking relief from pain or opioid dependence.

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“Once they started concentrating it in these 7-OH products, it was really replicating a full opioid,” she said. While vendors may advertise kratom as safe and "all-natural," the composition can vary widely and may not accurately reflect the product labeling, experts caution. Americans most commonly use kratom for self-treatment of chronic pain and to help battle opioid withdrawal symptoms, he added. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H., wrote in a statement that vape stores are "popping up in every neighborhood in America, and many are selling addictive products like concentrated 7-OH." Traditional natural-leaf kratom powder and capsules are regulated separately, primarily through state Kratom Consumer Protection Acts.

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• In April 2025 testimony to Colorado legislators debating how to regulate kratom and 7-OH, Michele Ross, the chief scientific adviser to the 7-OH advocacy group 7-HOPE Alliance, wrote, “To say 7-OH is not kratom is to say caffeine is not coffee or THC is not cannabis.
• “It definitely has the potential to be more dangerous because it’s more potent and unregulated.”
• Most people, however, enjoy lower doses of kratom in place of alcohol for its mild, euphoric buzz at the hundreds of tiki-style bars, “entheogenic” lounges, and quirky cafés that serve it.
• During the first seven months of 2025, poison control centers nationwide received 1,690 reports of exposure cases involving kratom, which already surpasses the total number of cases for the entire year of 2024.
• OPIA Kratom contains 7-Hydroxymitragynine, which is a natural alkaloid that is potent and found in the kratom plant (Mitragyna Speciosa).
• Philadelphia is considering a crackdown on smoke shops and the sale of so-called “gas station heroin” and other unregulated kratom and hemp-derived products.
• So, you should discuss this with your doctor or pharmacist before taking kratom.

Kratom originally hails from southeast Asia, where, Stanciu says, people have used it for centuries as a kind of herbal remedy for the ailments of every life. Back then, we were still in what Stanciu characterizes as the “first wave” of kratom use here in the U.S. “So, you know, to be able to use an opioid use disorder treatment on somebody with 7-OH use really solidifies for me — eyes open — that this is really the same problem.” The mu-opioid receptor is the primary target for our bodies’ own endorphins and also opioids like morphine and fentanyl. “Kratom was one problem, but that was a lower dose of exposure of the compound that binds to the mu-opioid receptor,” Perrone said.

It’s All About the Plants

If you’re interested in using natural agents to support your wellness routine, it’s worth learning more about the benefits of kratom and kava. Current law regulates the sale of natural kratom while maintaining the ban on synthetic alkaloids. A growing number specifically restrict high-concentration 7-OH products, but still consider natural kratom to be legal. The FDA's recommendation specifically targets concentrated and synthetic 7-OH products. For experienced kratom users seeking targeted effects, 7-OH products for sale offer a more intense experience.