URGENT: SB 758 Fast-Tracked — Take Action by Jan 13 to Stop Criminalization
We urgently need your help! A newly introduced bill in California, SB 758, is being fast-tracked and could move within days. If passed, it would classify 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) as a Schedule I substance, cutting off research, criminalizing people overnight, and repeating the very harms California has worked to undo.
Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) strongly urges opposition to SB 758. This bill is not based on a comprehensive scientific review and would create serious, irreversible harms — pushing people into illicit markets, shutting down urgently needed research, and increasing public health and justice risks instead of reducing them.
Time is critical. SB 758 is scheduled for a Senate Public Safety Committee hearing on January 13, giving legislators only a short window to review its consequences. Decisions are already being made — and they need to hear from us now.
What is 7-OH & Why is SB 758 So Dangerous?
7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) is a naturally occurring alkaloid found in kratom, a plant many people use to manage pain, reduce opioid withdrawal, or avoid more dangerous substances. While there are legitimate concerns about high-concentration, unregulated products, the evidence is clear: smart regulation saves lives — blanket criminalization destroys them.
A Schedule I designation is the most extreme classification under the law. It asserts that a substance has no accepted use and blocks pathways for research. Applying it here would:
- Halt scientific study when better data is urgently needed
- Eliminate regulatory oversight and consumer protections
- Drive demand into illicit markets
- Increase criminalization of patients, veterans, and people seeking harm-reduction alternative
California has spent decades moving away from failed prohibitionist approaches. SB 758 would reverse that progress in a matter of weeks.
As the world’s largest youth-led nonprofit advancing evidence-based, public-health–centered drug policy, SSDP supports thoughtful regulation, transparency, and harm reduction — not rushed criminalization.
1. Call Your Legislators (Most Impactful)
Calls matter — especially before committee hearings. If you are a California resident, please call members of the Senate Public Safety Committee today and urge them to oppose SB 758.
Call the Chair directly:
Senator Umberg — (916) 651-4007
Sample message:
“I’m an SSDP member from [your city], California and I’m calling to urge the Senator to oppose SB 758. Scheduling 7-OH would create serious public health harms, shut down research, and push people into illicit markets. I ask the Senator to slow this process and reject rushed criminalization.”
Other committee members:
- Kelly Seyarto (Vice-Chair): 916-651-4032
- Anna Caballero: 916-651-4014
- Lena Gonzalez: 916-651-4033
- Sasha Renée Pérez: 916-651-4025
- Scott Wiener: 916-651-4011
Even a 30-second call makes a difference.
2. Learn More — and Share
We’ve laid out the evidence showing why fast-tracking Schedule I classification will worsen harm, not reduce it.
Read our letter to the California Senate Public Safety Committee
Read our blog post
Sharing these resources helps ensure lawmakers, reporters, and community members understand what’s truly at stake.
3. Show up in Sacramento on January 13
Visibility matters. We’re organizing a Lobby Day in Sacramento, alongside community partners, to oppose SB 758 and AB 1088 (a bill to ban 7-OH outright) and to advocate for evidence-based solutions.
- Location: Sacramento, CA
- Date & Time: January 13th – 8:30 AM Senate Public Safety Committee Hearing (with morning gathering and training beforehand)
- Provided: Breakfast, lunch, and T-shirts
Whether you’re a patient, veteran, researcher, advocate, or concerned community member, your voice matters. Fast-tracked bills move quickly — and silence is often taken as consent.
Thank you for standing up for science-based policy, public health, and community safety when it matters most.
