The Trump administration this week announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is urging a ban on a compound increasingly found in unregulated tablets, gummies, and drink powders sold online and at convenience stores across the country.
The compound, known as 7-OH, may soon be classified as an illicit drug if the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)—an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with regulating controlled substances—signs off on the recommendation following a formal review.
“Dark innovations in chemistry have exacerbated the addiction crisis in this country,” said Deputy Health and Human Services Secretary Jim O’Neil during a press conference held Tuesday, July 29, in Washington, D.C. “Synthetic opioids like carfentanil and the substance we’re addressing today—7-Hydroxymitragynine—are fueling the epidemic.”
O’Neil explained that 7-hydroxymitragynine, commonly called 7-OH, is a highly addictive compound and a potent opioid agonist that significantly surpasses morphine in strength.
He described the products as “a recipe for public health disaster,” emphasizing that these items are often sold without oversight or proper warning labels.
“We’ve seen a troubling increase in overdoses, poisonings, and emergency room visits linked to products containing 7-OH,” O’Neil warned. “These are frequently sold in gas stations or online with zero quality control, no standardized dosages, and no consumer warnings.”
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary joined Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to announce the issuance of warning letters to companies accused of illegally marketing products that contain 7-OH.
“We’ve too often been reactive in public health—arriving only after disaster strikes,” Makary said. “But this time, we’re acting decisively to prevent harm before more lives are lost.”
What is 7-OH?
According to the FDA, 7-OH is a naturally occurring alkaloid in the kratom plant (Mitragyna speciosa)—but in extremely small amounts, comprising less than 2% of the plant’s overall alkaloid makeup.
Still, the agency notes that 7-OH demonstrates substantially greater mu-opioid receptor potency than kratom’s primary compound, mitragynine—as well as more traditional opioids like morphine.
Mu-opioid receptors, found in the brain and spinal cord, are responsible for pain relief but also contribute to opioid-related effects such as euphoria and respiratory suppression, according to research published on the National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine.
