FDA & DEA Move to Criminalize 7-OH
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is recommending that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) classify 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, as a Schedule I controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The Department of Health & Human Services sent a press release this past Tuesday, July 25, that the FDA is taking steps to restrict 7-OH products.
SSDP strongly opposes the proposed federal scheduling of 7-Hydroxy-Mitragynine, or 7-OH — a naturally occurring compound found in kratom.
Why? Because this move is part of a broader pattern we’ve seen again and again — policymakers rushing to ban specific substances without regard for science, public health, or human rights. The proposed criminalization of 7-OH isn’t about keeping people safe — it’s about maintaining a broken status quo that punishes people for the substances they use instead of supporting their ability to make the best decisions for their own health.
Our opposition is rooted in our core values:
We believe drug policy should be grounded in facts, not fear. There is no compelling scientific evidence that 7-OH poses a public health threat that justifies criminalization. 7-OH has been the cause of ZERO confirmed deaths and, according to FDA data, only a handful of serious adverse events have ever been associated with 7-OH, even after hundreds of millions of uses. That’s safer than many medicines available at your local pharmacy!
We believe in harm reduction. Many people use 7-OH safely to manage pain, mental health conditions, or to reduce dependence on more dangerous substances. Banning 7-OH would drive these users into an illicit market, increasing risks for contamination, mislabeling, and adulteration — the very things that actually cause harm.
We believe in bodily autonomy. People deserve the right to make informed decisions about what they put in their bodies — especially when those decisions are helping them survive or heal.
And, we believe young people deserve a future free from the harms of the drug war. That includes being free from laws that turn people who use or sell 7-OH into criminals. Over the last 50 years, we’ve seen how laws like these disproportionately impact Black, Brown, and low-income communities. We will not stand by as that history repeats itself under a new name.
The decision to ban 7-OH disregards the growing body of evidence showing its strong safety profile when responsibly manufactured and used.
Consumers deserve access to regulated, transparent, and tested natural health products—not reactionary bans designed to protect financial interests within competing industries.
This proposed scheduling reflects outdated thinking that has failed our generation before. It undermines harm reduction, ignores real-world data, and sends a dangerous message: that consumer voices and lived experiences don’t matter.
We call on HHS and the FDA to reverse course and work with scientists, public health experts, and responsible consumer advocates to develop smart regulations that prioritize safety—not prohibition.
Want to support SSDP in the fight to schedule 7-OH, please consider donating today!
Please email us with any questions to ssdp@ssdp.org.
