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.