Washington, DC
The Global Kratom Coalition (GKC) today commended Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier for signing an emergency rule that extends the state’s action against concentrated synthetic 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) and, for the first time, expands it to capture a new generation of synthetic derivatives engineered to bypass the AG’s August 2025 emergency rule.
Effective June 22, 2026, Florida’s rule schedules concentrated synthetic 7-OH alongside its lab-made analogs — including concentrated mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, dihydro-7-hydroxymitragynine (MGM-15), and 9-fluoro-7-hydroxymitragynine (MGM-16) — as Schedule I controlled substances. The action closes the door on synthetic products that bad actors have rushed to market in order to bypass the synthetic 7-OH emergency scheduling rule.
While natural 7-OH occurs in only trace amounts in the dried kratom leaf, the novel concentrated synthetic products targeted by this rule bear little resemblance to the plant. Unscrupulous manufacturers isolate and synthesize these compounds into hyper-concentrated, ultra-potent products — sold as tablets — that can be up to 13 times more potent than morphine. Florida’s rule protects access to natural kratom leaf by requiring that any legal product contain no more than 1 milligram of these substances per gram, with at least 100 times as much natural mitragynine as 7-OH — a standard that unadulterated leaf meets on its own.
“Florida is once again leading the country by going after the synthetic products fueling the fourth wave of the opioid epidemic— not the natural kratom leaf that more than 23 million Americans have relied upon for decades,” said Matthew Lowe, Executive Director of the Global Kratom Coalition. “What makes today’s action so important is that it doesn’t stop at concentrated synthetic 7-OH. By scheduling the new lab-made derivatives, Florida is shutting the door on the next wave of synthetics, staying one step ahead of these unscrupulous manufacturers.”
Florida’s action builds on the Food and Drug Administration’s July 2025 recommendation to schedule concentrated synthetic 7-OH opioid products under the Controlled Substances Act. Both the FDA and the Attorney General’s office have made clear that these measures do not target natural kratom leaf, which has been consumed for centuries and presents minimal health concerns.
“These are not kratom. They are concentrated, chemically engineered opioids dressed up to look like a natural supplement,” Lowe added. “We commend Attorney General Uthmeier for protecting Florida’s families and consumers, and we urge other states to follow his lead — drawing a clear line between the natural kratom leaf and the synthetic drugs being sold in its name.”
The Global Kratom Coalition applauds Florida’s leaders for using their enforcement authority to hold illicit companies accountable and urges other states to follow Florida’s lead in distinguishing natural botanicals from the dangerous synthetic products masquerading as them.
To learn more about the Global Kratom Coalition and its mission, visit www.globalkratomcoalition.org.
About the Global Kratom Coalition
The Global Kratom Coalition is dedicated to ensuring that natural kratom remains safe, accessible, and responsibly regulated, while protecting consumers from the dangerous, concentrated synthetic products that distort the public’s understanding of the kratom leaf. The Coalition advocates for science-based policy that clearly distinguishes natural kratom leaf from synthetic 7-OH and its derivatives. To learn more, visit www.globalkratomcoalition.org.
