Sponsors (9)
The bill gives federal authorities a tool to target dangerous synthetic opioids while preserving legal plant-based kratom, at the cost of restricting research, raising enforcement and taxpayer burdens, and creating regulatory uncertainty for kratom sellers.
Law enforcement and federal prosecutors gain authority to federally ban synthetic 7‑hydroxymitragynine, enabling removal of potentially dangerous synthetic opioids from circulation.
Kratom producers and consumers keep access to plant‑contained 7‑hydroxymitragynine because naturally occurring compound is excluded, preserving legal market access and avoiding an immediate federal ban on kratom products.
Scientists and patients with chronic conditions will face tighter research barriers because classifying synthetic 7‑hydroxymitragynine as Schedule I restricts clinical and laboratory study of the compound and its analogues.
Taxpayers and the justice system may see increased prosecutions and enforcement costs because possession or trafficking of synthetic 7‑hydroxymitragynine would carry criminal penalties.
Kratom manufacturers and sellers face regulatory uncertainty because the exemption for plant‑contained 7‑hydroxymitragynine may create confusion about which products are lawful versus banned synthetics, complicating compliance.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Adds 7‑hydroxymitragynine and synthetic equivalents to Schedule I while excluding naturally occurring 7‑OH in the kratom plant.
Official title: To amend the Controlled Substances Act to schedule synthetic 7-hydroxymitragynine as a Schedule I controlled substance.
Introduced March 19, 2026 by Gus Bilirakis · Last progress March 19, 2026
Adds the opioid alkaloid 7‑hydroxymitragynine (7‑OH) and its synthetic equivalents to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act while explicitly excluding 7‑OH when it occurs naturally in the kratom plant (Mitragyna speciosa). The change criminalizes possession, manufacture, and distribution of synthetic or isolated 7‑OH at the federal level but preserves an express exemption for the naturally occurring compound in the whole plant. The bill is narrowly focused on modifying federal drug scheduling to control a specific compound while carving out kratom plant material from that control. It affects law enforcement, researchers, manufacturers, kratom vendors, and consumers who use kratom or related products containing isolated or synthetic 7‑OH.