Senators Collins, Grassley, Lee Call on Trump Administration to Initiate Permanent Scheduling Proceedings for Kratom, Issue Emergency Scheduling Order for 7-OH

BANGOR, ME – U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Mike Lee (R-UT) are urging the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take immediate action to protect Americans from deadly kratom and related semi-synthetic substances. Specifically, the senators are requesting that the Trump Administration: Initiate proceedings to permanently schedule harmful kratom-related substances, including 7-OH and the synthetic derivatives MGM-15, MGM-16, and mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act , meaning they have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Immediately issue the emergency scheduling order for 7-hydroxy mitragynine—commonly known as 7-OH. Develop a permanent scheduling recommendation for the full kratom plant and its derivatives. “We frequently hear from constituents and concerned parents who have lost loved ones, and recovering users who warn us constantly about the addictive nature of kratom and its analogues,” the senators wrote . “We worry the availability of these products is providing consumers with a false sense of security because they are readily available and marketed as natural. It is imperative that the final emergency scheduling order for 7-OH be expeditiously promulgated.” “We urge DEA, in consultation with FDA, to initiate proceedings to permanently schedule all harmful substances found in kratom, including 7-OH, MGM-15, MGM-16, and mitragynine pseudoindoxyl. Furthermore, we urge the Food and Drug Administration to conduct the necessary scientific and medical evaluations of these substances and provide a permanent scheduling recommendation to the Drug Enforcement Administration for the full kratom plant, its derivatives, and all levels of the semi-synthetic analogues like mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, and MGM-16 that are being marketed as natural products,” the senators concluded . Click here to read the complete text of their letter. +++ Kratom is an unregulated substance sold across the country as an over-the-counter energy booster, mood lifter or pain reliever. Kratom-derived concentrates and semi-synthetic analogues, including 7-OH, have been identified by the DEA as more potent than schedule II opioids. 7-OH is known to be approximately 14 times more potent than morphine when given orally. The FDA warns Americans not to consume kratom due to severe health effects, including liver toxicity, seizures and substance use disorder. According to the National Drug Early Warning System and National Poison Data System , suspected nonfatal overdose encounters involving 7-OH, mitragynine or kratom were recorded across 38 states from 2023 to 2026. Further, between 2015 and 2025, poison control centers received 14,449 kratom exposure reports, with exposure reports increasing by 1,200% over the last 10 years. ###