WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Consumer Choice Center launched a new policy primer offering smart approaches and a regulatory framework for 7-OH and kratom derivatives, a series of compounds and products that have been recently targeted by both state regulators in Florida, Ohio, and Georgia, and by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
YAËL OSSOWSKI, co-author of the policy primer and Deputy Director of the Consumer Choice Center, responded to why consumers need protections with regulatory muster:
“If we want to better regulate and control kratom, 7-OH, plus all the derivatives showing up on shelves, we need to develop clear and effective rules regulating dosage, labeling, and age-gating sales to minors. That will protect families. The path of prohibition, currently the only offer by state and federal officials, has failed us countless times before, and we’re still living with the consequences. Targeted regulation on these compounds and products will protect consumers now and tomorrow. Prohibition has a tendency to mislead regulators into thinking an issue has been settled, and it causes a lot of harm.”
What are 7-OH and Kratom Derivatives:
The compound 7-Hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) is a natural metabolite of the kratom plant, traditionally used in Southeast Asia for its stimulant and pain-relieving effects. Users report 7-OH alleviates chronic pain, anxiety, PTSD, and opioid withdrawal, with its potency surpassing mitragynine, the plant’s primary alkaloid.
Because these chemicals target the same brain receptors as opiates, many users take up these products as they aim to recover from opioid addictions. Researchers have also begun investigating whether kratom and its derivatives are helpful in alcohol withdrawal and recovery.
Regulatory moves:
Several states, including most recently Florida, have banned kratom products and their derivatives rather than dedicating resources to an effective regulatory structure. In July 2025, Rhode Island reversed its ban, introducing a regulatory framework for manufacturing and sales that will come into force in 2026.
These products are typically sold at smoke shops, gas stations, and convenience stores in various forms, such as drinks, powder forms, tablets, or gummies. In most states, these products are sold without much regulatory oversight or labeling standards, which has led to knee-jerk political firestorms from the head of the FDA and some state governors.
“The correct answer is tough and enforceable regulations to keep consumers safe, age-restrictions to keep it away from children, and a governance framework that avoids needlessly criminalizing Americans and creating incentives for illicit trade while giving researchers the path to better understanding it,” Ossowski continued, “after decades of a punitive and societally destructive war on drugs on cannabis and other substances, are we prepared to repeat the same experiment again on 7-OH and other kratom products? Outright bans don’t magically eliminate use, but rather, they drive it underground. There is no scenario where this makes Americans safer.”
Consumer Choice Center Policy Recommendations:
- Reject Schedule I classification for 7-OH and Kratom derivatives.
- Establish a regulated framework for Kratom and its metabolites: purity testing, transparent labeling, dosage standards, etc.
- Encourage clinical research into therapeutic, medical, and recovery uses.
- Implement age restrictions and consumer education rather than criminal penalties.
