The U.S. DEA filed intent to temporarily place 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) and three related substances — mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, and MGM-16 — into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. Two Notices of Intent were sent to the Federal Register on July 1, 2026, following HHS confirmation that synthetic 7-OH has no accepted medical use and high abuse potential. The action targets highly concentrated, synthetic 7-OH products, not botanical kratom containing naturally occurring 7-OH below a specified threshold.

DEA Administrator Terrance Cole stated the scheduling addresses a growing threat to public safety and provides law enforcement tools to combat emerging threats. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. commended the action, calling these substances dangerous opioids that fuel addiction. 7-OH is a psychoactive substance with opioid-like effects found in trace amounts in the Mitragyna speciosa plant, indigenous to Southeast Asia. Commercial products containing semi-synthetic 7-OH have proliferated online and in retail outlets, often with higher concentrations than natural kratom. This temporary scheduling is part of broader efforts to combat the opioid epidemic.