Kratom, a plant native to Southeast Asia, is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for consumption or medical use, but it is often marketed for its purported ability to treat chronic pain, opioid dependence, opioid withdrawal, anxiety, depression, and other disorders.  Products are sold online and in stores in various forms, including powders, pills, gummies, and drink products.   

As kratom has gained in popularity in the United States in recent years, clandestine chemists have modified kratom’s natural chemical compounds into potent, synthetic chemicals that produce opioid-like effects and are highly addictive. These synthetic kratom products, which are often sold in packaging designed to attract youth, have been found to cause psychosis, seizures, insomnia, hallucinations, and death. 

“These modified kratom products, sold online and in stores, are essentially legal, over-the-counter opiates that anyone – including kids – can buy with just a few bucks,” said Governor DeWine. “There is no accepted medical use for kratom in Ohio, and it is an imminent public health risk. The Ohio Board of Pharmacy should act with urgency to schedule all kratom compounds and future alterations of them as Schedule I illegal drugs.” 

The FDA recently recommended that the kratom compound 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) be classified as an illegal drug under the Controlled Substances Act. Governor DeWine is asking the Ohio Board of Pharmacy to ban all natural chemical compounds in kratom, including mitragynine, 7-OH, and the less common but more potent compound mitragynine pseudoindoxyl (MP). He is also recommending that all existing and future synthetic kratom compounds be banned as well. 

If these actions are approved by the Ohio Board of Pharmacy, Ohio will be the first state in the country to categorize all current and future natural and synthetic kratom compounds as Schedule I drugs. All establishments selling kratom products in Ohio would be required to remove the items from their shelves.