Federal agencies revise proposed restrictions on concentrated kratom-related opioid substances based on scientific findings.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced changes to its emergency scheduling guidelines for several opioid substances, following updated scientific findings from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The changes affect 7-hydroxymitragynine, more commonly known as 7-OH, as well as mitragynine pseudoindoxyl (MGPI), and two other substances known as MGM-15 and MGM-16. Federal officials said the revised approach is intended to address products containing high levels of these substances while accounting for the small amounts that may naturally occur in botanical kratom.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) plans to issue two new emergency scheduling guidelines, or Notices of Intent, as part of the updated process. These notices explain the agency’s proposed actions and give the public information about the planned changes. The revisions follow new scientific information and recommendations from HHS concerning the presence and concentration of certain opioid substances in kratom-related products.
One major change involves 7-OH and MGPI. HHS recommended new limits based on the amount of these substances found in solid and liquid products. Under the recommendation, Schedule I controls would apply when either substance alone, or the combined amount when both are present, exceeds one milligram per gram in a solid product or one milligram per milliliter in a liquid product. The recommendation also calls for controls when the ratio of mitragynine to 7-OH, MGPI, or their combined amount falls below 100 to 1.
These limits are intended to help federal officials distinguish products that contain naturally occurring compounds from those that have been specially made with higher concentrations. According to the updated HHS analysis, 7-OH can occur naturally in botanical kratom, but usually at low levels. The agency also reported that new scientific information suggests MGPI may be present in trace amounts in some botanical or kratom-derived products.
Researchers are still learning more about MGPI and its presence in kratom-related products. HHS acknowledged that the available science continues to develop but recommended applying the same general threshold approach to both 7-OH and MGPI. The revised plan is intended to account for these findings when determining which products would fall under Schedule I restrictions.
The DEA is taking a different approach to MGM-15 and MGM-16. As part of its emergency scheduling guidelines, the agency plans to reissue its Notice of Intent for these two substances without changing the existing scheduling approach. These substances were already placed under temporary Schedule I controls on August 26, 2026. Those controls will remain in effect during the new 30-day notice period and will continue until the DEA issues another temporary scheduling order.
The process for 7-OH is at a different stage. The DEA had not yet issued a temporary scheduling order for that substance when the DOJ made its October announcement. The agency plans to issue a new Notice of Intent that reflects the updated scientific recommendations from HHS, including the proposed concentration and ratio limits. Attorney General Todd Blanche said the department’s actions were intended to protect children and communities from dangerous and addictive substances. Federal officials also connected the effort to their broader work against drug trafficking and the sale of powerful synthetic drugs.
The announcement does not mean that every product containing kratom is automatically subject to the same restrictions. The next steps depend on the DEA’s revised notices and any subsequent scheduling orders. Until further action is taken, the temporary Schedule I controls on MGPI, MGM-15, and MGM-16 remain in place.
Sources:
DEA Reevaluates Regulations on 7-OH and Other Kratom-Linked Opioids
DEA announces placement of three 7-OH -related compounds as Schedule I substances
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