Kratom Community Divided Over Potent Extract 7-OH as Calls for Ban Intensify
A decade after successfully fighting a DEA ban, kratom advocates are now split over 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), a powerful extract causing addiction and health concerns, with U.S. officials and industry groups calling for its prohibition.
The kratom community, which a decade ago mounted a successful campaign against a proposed Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) ban, is now embroiled in an internal conflict. Some former kratom advocates are now demanding a ban on products containing 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), an ultra-potent extract with opioid-like effects.
7-OH has become widely available in gummies, capsules, and shots in recent years, raising concerns about addiction and severe withdrawal symptoms. The American Kratom Association (AKA) is pushing for a ban, arguing it is a chemically manipulated opioid masquerading as kratom. In contrast, the 7-OH industry insists that 7-OH is kratom, just as caffeine is coffee.
U.S. officials have taken sides: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called the 7-OH industry “sinister,” while President Donald Trump made confusing remarks endorsing “natural 7-OH,” likely referring to kratom. Reports have also surfaced about financial ties between officials and the kratom drink company Feel Free. Founder JW Ross, formerly Jerry Cash, donated $500,000 to the MAHA PAC and has been photographed with Kennedy. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin held an investment of up to $1 million in Feel Free’s parent company, Botanic Tonics.
Several states, including California and Vermont, have already banned 7-OH. Seven states have also banned kratom, though Rhode Island recently reversed its prohibition. Researcher Chris McCurdy from the University of Florida warns that 7-OH products contain poorly understood compounds with unknown biological effects.
Users are divided: some praise 7-OH for anxiety relief but admit to severe withdrawal. Others argue that a ban would only push the market underground, while the industry awaits potential new executive orders from Trump on drug policy. Meanwhile, new semi-synthetic compounds like MGM-15 are already emerging, suggesting a continuing game of regulatory whack-a-mole.
