WASHINGTON, DC – A diverse coalition of consumer advocacy groups, free market organizations, family and faith groups, drug policy reformers, and public policy advocates implore Congress to oppose HR 8000, a bill that would prohibit and ban kratom-derived products, including 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH).
In a letter addressed to the House Energy & Commerce’s Health Subcommittee, the coalition warns that such restrictions risk undermining public safety rather than protecting it.
“We respectfully ask that you consider the serious unintended consequences this legislation would impose on American families, particularly adult consumers who lawfully and responsibly use 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) as a harm reduction tool and a less harmful alternative to traditional opioids,” write the coalition.
“We urge you to oppose HR 8000 as written and instead allow Congress to craft a sensible regulatory framework that protects children while preserving access for informed adults.”
The coalition includes Consumer Choice Center, Consumer Action for a Strong Economy (CASE), End It For Good, Hispanic Leadership Fund, Moms for America, and the Taxpayers Protection Alliance.
In July, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended that 7-OH be listed as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act, the harshest category under federal law.
Thus far, authorities have presented no compelling evidence or data demonstrating that this popular compound constitutes a public health emergency. Over a million Americans have consumed more than one billion servings of 7-OH, yet the FDA’s own data show only about 40 total adverse health events — hundreds fewer than are associated with common household soap — and not a single confirmed death from 7-OH ingested in isolation.
“Outright prohibition would not make these people disappear — it would push them back toward opioids, whether legally prescribed or obtained through the black markets that invariably form in the wake of blanket bans like the one proposed here. Congress has seen this story before, and it does not end well,” write the coalition in their letter.
The coalition urges Congress to reject sweeping prohibitionist measures and instead enact evidence-based regulation that protects both public health and consumer autonomy.
###
