On April 22, 2026, CCC convened a congressional briefing on kratom and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) regulation, co-hosted with the Reason Foundation and the Cato Institute. The event drew a strong cross-section of two dozen Member office staffers and public policy advocates working on drug policy and consumer access issues.
The Event
The panel paired policy and scientific expertise: Yaël Ossowski, Deputy Director of the Consumer Choice Center; Michelle Minton, Managing Director for Drug Policy at the Reason Foundation; Dr. Jeffrey Singer, Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute and founder of Valley Surgical Clinics; Dr. Kirsten Smith, Ph.D., L.M.S.W.; and Dr. Edward Boyer, MD, toxicologist and Professor of Emergency Medicine at The Ohio State University.
The briefing offered high-level insights on the policy questions now active at FDA, DEA, and in several state legislatures, grounded in the most up-to-date research presented directly by the scientists on the panel. The conversation drew a clear distinction between kratom as a whole-plant product and concentrated 7-OH derivatives — a distinction central to pending regulatory proposals.
Q&A
The Q&A period was substantive. Staffers and advocates asked about product and category differences between kratom and 7-OH, pharmacological effects, whether overdose is possible, current signals from poison control centers, and how consumers actually use these products day-to-day.
A notable thread focused on the relationship to opioids — specifically, how pain patients are using kratom to wean off prescription opioids and manage withdrawal.
Conclusion
The event met its objective: delivering timely, science-forward policy analysis to the offices and advocates shaping the federal and state response to these products, and positioning CCC as a credible convener on emerging consumer-product regulatory debates.
To learn more about our research and advocacy on kratom alkaloids like 7-OH, you can find that here on our website.