What is 7-OH? Florida bans potent kratom compound, calling it as addictive as opioids

CBS News

4 days ago

Citing an "immediate danger to the public health, safety and welfare," Attorney General James Uthmeier on Wednesday issued an emergency rule banning a "highly addictive" compound known as 7-OH, a concentrated byproduct of kratom that is sold in smoke shops throughout the state.
The rule prohibiting "7-hydroxymitragynine," an alkaloid known as 7-OH, went into effect immediately.
The compound — available in such products as drinks, gummies and powders — has skyrocketed in popularity over the past few years. Doctors say 7-OH acts on the same parts of the brain and is as addictive as opioids.
"It is a significant painkiller. It has been proven to be highly addictive and easily can be overdosed, so it's very dangerous," Uthmeier said at a news conference at Tampa General Hospital. "We are taking emergency action now because we see immediate danger."
Florida in 2023 prohibited the sale of kratom, a plant whose botanical name is "mitragyna speciosa," to people under age 21. But legislation aimed at regulating or banning sale or use altogether has not passed.
The 7-OH alkaloid is one of the plant's most potent active compounds. According to information distributed by the attorney general, 7-OH levels are low in whole kratom leaves, while isolated or concentrated forms of the compound are much stronger and often are sold as natural or health supplements.
The emergency rule — which applies to 7-OH "concentrated at a level of 1 percent by weight" — comes after an effort by President Donald Trump's administration to highlight the dangers of 7-OH as part of a broader effort to address opioid addiction.
U.S. Drug and Food Administration Commissioner Martin Makary was among the officials who flanked Uthmeier at Wednesday's announcement. Makary's office two weeks ago took initial steps to add 7-OH to the federal schedule of dangerous drugs.
Makary, a pancreatic surgeon, said 7-OH "may be the fourth wave of the opioid epidemic."
"This is not just like an opioid. … It is an opioid. It is scientifically meeting the criteria of an opioid and yet you can go in a vape shop in America almost on any corner and buy it like a cup of coffee," Makary said.
The popularity of kratom has boomed over the past decade, but 7-OH products are relative latecomers to the market, according to industry insiders.
Proponents of 7-OH immediately pushed back against Uthmeier's arguments about the substance.
"While we understand that the AG was making an attempt at keeping people safe, the scheduling of 7-OH is really unwarranted. … We know that there is no crisis," Jackie Subeck, founder of the 7-HOPE alliance nonprofit, told reporters Wednesday. "This is all a manufactured crisis by the kratom industry because they are losing market share every day to 7-OH."
Jeff Smith, national policy director for the Holistic Alternative Recovery Trust, disputed that consumption of 7-OH on its own can be fatal.
"This decision ignores the science," Smith said in a news release.
The Federal Drug Administration's database lists "zero confirmed deaths linked to 7-OH alone, and just eight adverse events ever reported, even with over half a billion adult uses," according to Smith's release.
"If 7-OH were truly the threat being claimed, the data would show it. It doesn't," Smith said.
Proponents of 7-OH appeared to be gearing up for a fight.
Smith said his group plans on working with lawmakers ahead of the 2026 legislative session to craft "comprehensive, science-based regulations covering both 7-OH and kratom."
"Emergency scheduling is meant to address immediate, demonstrated dangers, not to eliminate market competitors under the guise of public health," Smith said. "The Florida AG's action today may serve the interests of kratom lobbyists, but it doesn't serve the people of Florida who deserve safe, regulated options — not political theater."
Subeck said to stay tuned.
"Everything that we can possibly do is on the table," she said.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, whose office has authority to enforce the emergency rule, warned retailers to comply with the ban.
"Get it off your shelves. You will be seeing our folks in the coming days, and we will seize these products," said Simpson, who also joined the attorney general in Tampa.
The crackdown on the kratom-based products also is part of a state effort to keep readily available intoxicating substances out of the hands of children.
Simpson pointed to his office's focus on removing items sold at gas stations, vape shops and other retail outlets that violate the state's prohibition against the sale or manufacturing of hemp-based products that are attractive to children.
"We are going to be very aggressive" about enforcing the new rule, Simpson said.
"If you have these products, I would go ahead and remove them. I would get them out of the state of Florida," he advised.