Sponsors (3)
The bill gives federal authorities power to ban a synthetic opioid compound while preserving plant-sourced kratom sales, trading improved ability to remove dangerous synthetics for restricted research, higher enforcement/taxpayer costs, and regulatory uncertainty for sellers.
Law enforcement and public-safety officials gain authority to federally ban synthetic 7‑hydroxymitragynine, making it easier to remove potentially dangerous synthetic opioids from circulation.
Kratom producers and users retain legal market access because naturally occurring 7‑hydroxymitragynine in plants is excluded from the ban, avoiding immediate federal prohibition of kratom products.
Taxpayers and the criminal justice system may face higher costs and more prosecutions because possession and trafficking of the synthetic compound are criminalized, increasing enforcement and correctional burdens.
Scientists and patients will have reduced ability to study synthetic 7‑hydroxymitragynine and its analogues because Schedule I classification restricts research and clinical trials, slowing potential therapeutic discoveries.
Small-business owners and manufacturers face regulatory ambiguity over which kratom products are lawful versus banned synthetic products, complicating compliance and risking inadvertent violations.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Classifies synthetic or isolated 7‑hydroxymitragynine as Schedule I while exempting 7‑OH naturally contained 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
Classifies the synthetic opioid derivative 7-hydroxymitragynine (7‑OH) as a Schedule I controlled substance at the federal level, while specifically excluding 7‑OH when it is naturally present in the kratom plant (Mitragyna speciosa). The change applies to synthetic equivalents and isolates of 7‑OH, making manufacture, distribution, and possession of those forms a federal Schedule I offense, but leaves naturally occurring 7‑OH in the plant material outside this ban.