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The kratom industry has strongly lobbied the administration to resist regulation, working to differentiate kratom from 7-OH products and downplaying the risks associated with kratom.
Reminder: Last summer, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended scheduling 7-OH, a potent derivative of kratom. Then-FDA Commissioner Makary explicitly noted the move was “not targeting the kratom leaf.”
- The move would be a boon to kratom companies, which market their supplements as safer and more natural. Kratom companies used donations and lobbyists to push for the crackdown on 7-OH.
- Why it’s important: Kratom also has health risks and is sold largely unregulated in accessible locations such as gas stations and convenience stores.
The big picture: The campaign underscores how corporations in the wellness industry can gain traction in the administration by casting risky products as aligned with the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda.
- The administration’s openness to kratom comes as it has also expressed a willingness to loosen rules covering other drugs backed by influence campaigns, including cannabis and psychedelics.
What’s coming: It is not clear whether the administration will approve the emergency ban on 7-OH recommended by FDA.
- But during a briefing last month, President Trump noted, “We’re looking very seriously at natural 7-OH and getting that approved. A lot of people are asking for it.” It was unclear whether he was siding with natural kratom or 7-OH, but the comment suggested that Trump had heard from influential figures on the matter.
Read more: How an Addictive Gas Station Drug Found Allies in Trump’s Cabinet
Published
July 2026