Missouri's 7-OH Bills Stall in the Senate, Leaving Regulation to the Cities
Photo: Antony-22 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Missouri ended its 2026 legislative session without passing statewide regulation of kratom or 7-OH, as competing Senate bills stalled over how strictly to treat the compounds. Kratom and 7-OH remain legal and unregulated at the state level in Missouri, even as neighboring Kansas and Tennessee enacted statewide bans taking effect July 1. In the absence of a state law, individual Missouri cities have written their own rules.
Two competing measures advanced through the Missouri Senate in 2026. Senate Bill 927, from Senator Maggie Nurrenbern, took a consumer-protection approach. It would have barred kratom products containing 7-OH above 800 parts per million (0.08%) on a dry-weight basis. The bill also set a 21-and-over age limit, required behind-the-counter placement and label disclaimers, and treated violations under the state's Merchandising Practices Act. It cleared the Judiciary Committee in March but never received a floor vote.
Senate Bill 1605, from Senator Mike Henderson, took the scheduling route. It would have classified 7-OH concentrated above 1,000 parts per million (0.1%) as a Schedule I controlled substance. The bill reached the Senate floor but stalled amid bipartisan opposition that pulled in opposite directions. One senator considered the 7-OH limit too strict, since the compound occurs naturally in kratom leaf, while another wanted a full ban of both kratom and 7-OH rather than a cap. The session ended without either bill passing.
In the absence of state action, Missouri cities moved on their own. Kansas City, Blue Springs, and Rolla each enacted ordinances restricting synthetic 7-OH and setting 21-and-over rules for natural kratom.
Missouri remains one of the states where kratom and 7-OH are legal and unregulated at the state level, a contrast with neighboring Kansas, which scheduled both kratom alkaloids effective July 1, and Tennessee, which banned kratom statewide on the same date. For operators, the regulatory map inside Missouri is local rather than statewide. Kansas City, Blue Springs, and Rolla impose their own age limits, placement rules, and restrictions on concentrated 7-OH, and those ordinances vary by jurisdiction. Missouri stays without a statewide standard, and the division between regulating and banning 7-OH that stalled the bills remains unresolved.