Today, Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) officially submitted our public comment opposing the Drug Enforcement Administration’s proposal to temporarily place 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) above a specified threshold into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.

Our comment reflects decades of evidence, scientific research, and the lived experiences of people whose health, recovery, and quality of life would be harmed by prohibition. It makes one thing clear: this proposal is not evidence-based public health policy — it is a return to the failed policies of the War on Drugs.

But our comment alone isn’t enough.

Today is the final day to make your voice heard. Every public comment helps demonstrate that Americans reject prohibition masquerading as regulation. If you haven’t submitted a comment yet, there’s still time.

A Science-Based Response to a Bad Proposal

As the world’s largest youth-led network dedicated to ending the War on Drugs, SSDP believes drug policy should be guided by evidence — not fear.

Our comment urges the DEA and the Department of Health and Human Services to reject the proposed scheduling threshold because it would:

• Criminalize a naturally occurring metabolite of the kratom plant.
• Undermine scientific and medical research before many important questions have even been answered.
• Push consumers toward unregulated illicit markets rather than improving public safety.
• Restrict access to products that many adults rely on while ignoring practical, evidence-based regulatory alternatives.
• Repeat the same prohibitionist mistakes that have consistently failed to improve public health.

Instead of prohibition, SSDP calls for sensible safeguards including product testing, accurate labeling, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards, age restrictions, adverse event reporting, and continued scientific research.

These are the kinds of policies that actually protect consumers.

The Movement Is Growing

In just a few short weeks, tens of thousands of people have stepped forward to oppose 7-OH criminalization.

Researchers, healthcare professionals, veterans, people in recovery, chronic pain patients, kratom consumers, policy experts, and advocates from across the political spectrum have all spoken out. Together, they have shown that Americans want policies rooted in science, compassion, and individual liberty — not another escalation of the War on Drugs.

History has shown that public engagement matters. Grassroots advocacy helped stop the federal kratom scheduling attempt in 2016, and this movement has already helped defeat multiple state-level efforts to criminalize 7-OH.

Now we have another opportunity to make our voices impossible to ignore.

Submit Your Comment Today

If you haven’t already submitted a public comment, please do so today. The deadline is 11:59 pm ET. 

It’s incredibly easy with SSDP’s federal comment tool: just fill out your information and you’ll have a comment ready to submit in under two minutes. It even takes you straight to the appropriate portal on the Federal Register.

You can use the letter we’ve already written for you or you can edit it however you wish.

The most effective comments are personal. If 7-OH, kratom, or evidence-based drug policy has affected your life, explain why. Share your own experiences and explain why science — not politics — should guide federal policy. Just make sure to avoid profanity and address the actual question being asked (Is a 1 mg ban too low?) to ensure it it counted.

Every unique comment strengthens the public record and helps demonstrate the real-world consequences of this proposal.

Help SSDP Keep Fighting

Submitting comments is only one part of this campaign.

SSDP has spent months organizing advocates, educating policymakers, producing scientific resources, mobilizing grassroots supporters, coordinating coalition partners, meeting with lawmakers, hosting educational events, and ensuring that evidence — not misinformation — is represented throughout this process.

We do this work because we believe the War on Drugs is a War on Us — and because young people deserve a future built on health, human rights, and science.

If you believe in that vision, please consider making a donation today.

Your support allows SSDP to continue challenging harmful policies, defending scientific research, training the next generation of advocates, and fighting for drug policies grounded in evidence rather than fear.

Together, we can stop this proposal—and continue building a future where public health always comes before prohibition.

Take Action Today

✅ Submit your public comment before the deadline.

✅ Share the action alert with your friends, family, and community.

✅ Make a donation to help SSDP continue leading the fight for evidence-based drug policy.

Read SSDP’s Full Public Comment

The complete text of SSDP’s official public comment is embedded below.