Kratom News June 2026: Critical FDA 7-OH Updates

The longer answer involves understanding why regulators are treating concentrated 7-OH products differently from the natural kratom leaf. Ohio became one of the latest states to take action when Governor Mike DeWine issued an emergency order in December 2025 banning synthetic kratom products. The substance, commonly known as 7-OH or synthetic kratom, contains concentrated levels of 7-hydroxymitragynine, a compound derived from the kratom plant. Most states regulate whole-leaf kratom through Kratom Consumer Protection Acts that set a 21+ age minimum, require accurate labeling, and prohibit adulterated or synthetic products. Below we break down the FDA’s latest warning letters, Tennessee’s looming ban, a major Missouri settlement, and Florida’s expiring emergency rule, then explain what each story means for shoppers who buy traditional VR Kratom natural-leaf kratom powder and capsules. A plain-English roundup of this week’s most important kratom news for natural-leaf powder and capsule shoppers.

Idaho Falls City Council bans local sale of kratom

Importantly, natural kratom leaf remains legal in Florida under the state’s Kratom Consumer Protection Act (KCPA), which has required 21-and-older age verification, accurate labeling, and a ban on adulterated or synthetic products since 2023. Near Columbus, Jason Ingram, owner of Centuries Harvest Kratom, said his store sells both natural kratom—crushed leaf from the plant—and synthetic 7-OH products, including tablets. SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is warning consumers about products containing kratom and 7-hydroxymitragynine, commonly known as 7-OH, a potent opioid product derived from the kratom plant.

• Former NASCAR driver Jack Smith, who became addicted to Percocet after breaking his neck twice, credits kratom for helping him overcome opioid dependence and manage chronic pain.
• It’s possible that a brick-and-mortar kratom shop will be able to provide test results for its kratom or some other benchmark to prove its quality, but it’s unlikely.
• “And so, the argument can be made that they’re not opioids, because they don’t have a specific shape like opioids. And that’s despite the fact that they work in a very similar way.”
• A previous blog examined the kratom legislation that states have already passed and implemented.
• He started taking kratom capsules regularly five years ago and then two years ago turned to a kratom drink called Feel Free.

How are 7OH tablets different from regular kratom powder?

The American Kratom Association said while the plant appears to be popular in pre-workout and post-workout routines, there is no data about its use in professional sports. “I mean it’s everywhere, every store I go into, every gas station, every mini-mart or convenience store,” he said. “They’re these little blue bottles that you find at gas stations,” said the former player, who asked not to be named in order to speak openly about his addiction. “It first came to my attention in dealing with local high school athletes that were using it for anxiety and pain control from soreness after practice,” Quigley said. Part of that disagreement stems from the nature of the plant itself. News stations reported that drug paraphernalia was found at the scene.

Councilwoman Michelle Ziel-Dingman, who originally brought the kratom issue before the council, said it’s not ideal for localities to oversee the potency of products and all the factors that make them safe. Councilman Jim Francis said even those whom he’s talked to who are against the ban told him there should be some regulation on kratom products, such as concentrates. If these actions are approved by the Ohio Board of Pharmacy, Ohio will be the first state in the country to categorize all current and future natural and synthetic kratom compounds as Schedule I drugs.

While potent kratom is certainly a good thing, it isn’t the be-all-end-all. Virtually every vendor will claim to have the “strongest kratom leaf” on the market. A potentiator is a substance that boosts the effects of another substance. The other downside of capsules is that there isn’t as much selection as there is for kratom powder. They’re best for people taking low doses or microdoses of kratom — rather than a full dose.

But, she added, “For my patients that come to me and have been using illicit opioids and have switched to kratom, they are reducing their risk. Dr. Kristin Martin, an addiction physician and chair of the American Osteopathic Associations Conjoint Committee on Addiction Medicine, said kratom is still an emerging area of research. In Florida, where Trouville’s son died, a local investigation the year before his death revealed that nearly 600 people over the last decade had died of kratom-related overdoses. “If you’re a larger city with almost a million people in it saying it’s a problem … I think a lot of other towns and cities would look at Boston and say, ‘Why are they banning? According to the addiction treatment network Sprout Health Group, six states, including Rhode Island, have outlawed the sale and use of kratom.

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Illinois, for example, has legislation under consideration that would make mitragynine and 7-OH Schedule III, which would restrict rather than outright ban the substances. While most of the scheduling would categorize kratom or 7-OH in Schedule I, there are exceptions. Drugs that are categorized as Schedule I are determined to be the most dangerous, with the medical benefits, if any, outweighed by the potential for abuse or death. While the federal government has floated the idea of scheduling 7-OH without any additional concrete action, states have been scheduling kratom much more quickly. These three buckets capture almost all the kratom-related bills that were under consideration in the 2025–26 state legislative sessions. Almost every state in the nation introduced some form of legislation regarding the status of kratom in its respective jurisdictions.