Latest reporting
The Federal Government Is Deciding Kratom's Fate Today. 32,000 People Already Told It What They Think.
The federal comment period on scheduling concentrated 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), the potent kratom derivative, closes today with over 32,000 comments filed — as Pennsylvania and North Dakota fight the same battle at the state level.
The DEA Already Banned Kratom's Cousin Chemical. In Three Days, It Decides How Much of the Original Survives.
The DEA scheduled kratom-derived MPGI as Schedule I on August 26, 2026. A separate HHS proposal would cap legal 7-OH concentration at 0.05% — with public comment closing September 10. Here's what's actually being decided, and what isn't.
You Have Four Days to Tell the DEA the Difference Between Kratom and 7-OH
The DEA's proposed 0.05% threshold for 7-OH products closes for public comment September 10, 2026. It's the difference between a kratom leaf staying legal and a boosted extract going Schedule I.
Through eight lenses
Science
Alpha-2 agonists (xylazine, medetomidine — veterinary sedatives), nitazenes as μ-opioid agonists (synthesized in 1950s, never approved, re-emerging), kratom mitragynine partial μ-agonist + alpha-2, tianeptine atypical antidepressant with opioid activity at high doses.
Biology
Xylazine causes necrotic skin ulcers characteristic + prolonged sedation not reversed by naloxone; nitazenes act like high-potency fentanyl analogs (naloxone-reversible, higher dosing may be needed); kratom has its own withdrawal syndrome; tianeptine "gas station heroin" causing emergency-dept surges.
Psychology
Dependence patterns mirror the parent class but often with gaps in clinical recognition.
Policy
DEA scheduling scramble — xylazine FDA-declared emerging threat, nitazene analogs being scheduled piecemeal, kratom DEA deferred twice, tianeptine state-by-state patchwork.
The Federal Government Is Deciding Kratom's Fate Today. 32,000 People Already Told It What They Think.
Sep 10The DEA Already Banned Kratom's Cousin Chemical. In Three Days, It Decides How Much of the Original Survives.
Sep 7You Have Four Days to Tell the DEA the Difference Between Kratom and 7-OH
Sep 6
Trends
Xylazine now in 48 states' supply; medetomidine identified in Chicago-area 2024; kratom retail boom.
The DEA Already Banned Kratom's Cousin Chemical. In Three Days, It Decides How Much of the Original Survives.
Sep 7Xylazine Is Losing Ground in the Drug Supply. What's Replacing It Is Worse, and Naloxone Still Won't Touch Either One.
Sep 5The Feds Are Scheduling Three New Drugs at Once. The Chemists Are Already on a Fourth.
Aug 28
Treatment
Xylazine wound care + opioid co-treatment; nitazene overdose reversal with naloxone; kratom dependence — buprenorphine effective; tianeptine dependence — like opioids.
Harm Reduction
Test strips for xylazine + nitazenes (where available), stay with person during prolonged sedation, don't use alone, high-dose naloxone availability.
The Federal Government Is Deciding Kratom's Fate Today. 32,000 People Already Told It What They Think.
Sep 10The DEA Already Banned Kratom's Cousin Chemical. In Three Days, It Decides How Much of the Original Survives.
Sep 7You Have Four Days to Tell the DEA the Difference Between Kratom and 7-OH
Sep 6