The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services is finalizing regulations to classify a “dangerous” derivative of kratom as a Schedule I narcotic that would make it a crime to sell, possess or distribute the substance.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, in a Wednesday press conference, said 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, is a “powerful and addictive drug that has no place in Kentucky.” A press release from his office stated law enforcement would be able to remove the “unsafe” 7-OH products from shelves once the regulation is finalized.
“Because of this action, law enforcement and regulatory agencies can get this drug out of communities,” Beshear said.
7-OH is found naturally in very low levels in the leaves of a kratom plant, though concentration of the chemical compound increases when the leaves are dried and processed. Products containing isolated, concentrated versions of 7-OH have been sold as tablets, gummies, drink mixes and shots.
Those 7-OH products are distinct from kratom products — controversial herbal supplements used for pain relief, anxiety and opioid withdrawal symptoms — that are generally sold from retailers including smoke and vape shops. The Kentucky legislature passed a law, signed by Beshear, last year to regulate kratom and prohibit its sale to individuals under the age of 21.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in July recommended certain 7-OH products be controlled because of the “potential for abuse because of its ability to bind to opioid receptors.” Researchers have said more study is needed of both kratom and 7-OH to understand their long-term effects.
Mac Haddow, a senior fellow on public policy for the nonprofit American Kratom Association, told the Lantern manufacturers selling concentrated 7-OH products have erroneously labeled the products as “kratom” to make it easier to sell.
“They know that there’s an advantage to calling it kratom because you’ve got millions of consumers who regularly use kratom, and they want to dupe them into buying their product and get them hooked on it,” Haddow said. “Unfortunately, the addiction profile of 7-OH is very high compared to kratom.”
Haddow said his association supports the Beshear administration’s move to restrict access to 7-OH products but warned manufacturers of 7-OH have used other chemical processes to create new, separate compounds derived from 7-OH to sidestep bans.
He said his association plans to recommend to Kentucky health officials that a state regulation also ban all synthetics derived from 7-OH.
“That way you get rid of these games that these manufacturers are playing,” Haddow said.