Florida Schedules Concentrated 7-OH as a Controlled Substance, Effective Immediately
Photo: Michael Rivera / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier signed an emergency rule on June 22, 2026 that places concentrated 7-hydroxymitragynine, known as 7-OH, and six related compounds into Schedule I, the same category as heroin and fentanyl. The rule took effect immediately and exposes manufacturers and sellers to felony charges. It expands and replaces a narrower 7-OH rule the state issued in 2025 that newer products had worked around.
The state first acted in August 2025, when an emergency rule scheduled isolated and concentrated 7-OH as a controlled substance. That rule was set to expire on June 30, 2026, and state officials said newer products had been formulated to skirt it. The June 22 rule supersedes the earlier one before it expires and broadens it, adding related compounds and setting concentration limits rather than relying on a single threshold. 7-OH occurs naturally in kratom in trace amounts, between 0.01 and 0.04 percent, but the products at issue are concentrated forms sold in gas stations, vape shops, and online.
The two limits are designed to separate concentrated products from trace-level material. A product may not contain more than 1 milligram of the listed chemicals per gram or milliliter, and any product that contains them must also contain at least 100 times more mitragynine by mass. Together these prevent the super-concentrated and chemically altered formulas the state is targeting.
Florida classified the compounds as Schedule I, which carries the same legal treatment as heroin, LSD, and fentanyl analogues. The designation enables felony arrests, prosecutions, product seizures, and shutdowns of manufacturers and sellers. The Attorney General said the office will pursue violators, citing penalties of up to 30 years in prison.
The rule makes it illegal to sell, distribute, or possess concentrated 7-OH and the six related compounds anywhere in Florida as of June 22, 2026, reaching the gummies, tablets, drink mixes, shots, teas, and liquid extracts sold under brand names the state identified, including Hydroxy, 7Tabz, and 7OHMZ. Products that exceed 1 milligram per gram or milliliter, or that do not contain at least 100 times more mitragynine than the listed compounds, are now Schedule I controlled substances. Because this is an emergency rule, it takes effect without the usual rulemaking process and is temporary unless extended or made permanent. Whole-leaf kratom with only trace 7-OH is not the target of the concentration limits, but sellers of concentrated 7-OH products in Florida face immediate felony exposure.
The action is not uniformly opposed within the sector: a segment of the kratom industry has publicly supported the rule as aimed at concentrated synthetic 7-OH rather than natural kratom leaf, while some critics argue it is too narrow and leaves other kratom products on shelves.