Those little bottles sold in front of gas station cash registers? If they contain kratom, they’re now illegal in Florida.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced an emergency rule that puts 7-OH (7-Hydroxymitragynine) on the state’s schedule 1 list of drugs that have “a high potential for abuse and no currently accepted medical use.” He made the announcement Aug. 13 at Tampa General Hospital.
Kratom, made from Southeast Asian tree leaves, is marketed as a natural remedy for pain and anxiety. 7-OH, however, is a concentrated kratom byproduct that can come in the form of pills, gummies, drink mixes and shots. (Reversal agents like naloxone do work on 7-OH and are recommended to use during an overdose.)
It’s now in the same category of drugs like meth, fentanyl and bath salts (known as cathinones), making it illegal to sell, possess or distribute 7-OH in the state. The order is effective immediately; Uthmeier said enforcement could start as early as the morning of Aug. 14.
Medical experts say 7-OH, a synthetic and concentrated byproduct of the kratom leaf, produces effects similar to those of opioids and opiates. Currently it can be bought over the counter at gas stations and vape shops, sometimes in packaging designed to appeal to teens, and users have reported that the drug can be addictive.
Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, who was with Uthmeier, told business owners to “get it off your shelves.” The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is responsible for consumer safety, and his Agricultural Law Enforcement officers enforce laws related to consumer protection.
“We are going to be very aggressive,” Simpson added.
According to a press release from the attorney general’s office, the Florida Department of Health and local agencies have reported a recent increase in emergency room visits and adverse health incidents linked to kratom, particularly among people under 25.
7-OH’s high potency has a high rate of addiction, the FDA says. In the past year, Florida Poison Control has received 191 calls about 7-OH exposure, with a 14% increase over the last three months.
Also at the press conference, Dr. Martin Makary, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner, called 7-OH the “fourth wave of the opioid epidemic.”
Makary and other officials are trying to have 7-OH scheduled as an illicit substance at the federal level. That will happen if the Drug Enforcement Administration approves the FDA’s sanction after review.
“This is part of a broader strategy that we are taking in the Trump administration to end (the sale) of illegal vape products,” Makary said.
Makary, who shared that his stepson recently died from a 7-OH overdose, said the government will not focus on kratom leaf, just concentrated and synthetic byproducts.
“I am very supportive of people seeking alternatives outside of traditional Western medicine for wellness,” Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo said. “Our problem here is not with kratom. The problem today is with 7-OH. We don’t need any more substances that disconnect people from reality.”
Ladapo said “checking out of reality” makes people “more vulnerable to manipulation,” like masking children during the COVID-19 pandemic: “That nonsense would not have been possible if so many of us weren’t disconnected from the reality, from our relationship with God, the universe, Earth, the trees, the beaches, the water, the wind, that things that make us human and facilitate our connection with the Earth and God and each other.”
There are currently no official numbers for how many children have died from 7-OH, but Makary said Florida’s emergency order will save lives.
“Due to the danger posed to the public, Florida is taking 7-OH off the shelves immediately. This dangerous substance is being marketed to teens and young adults and has a high potential for abuse and death,” Uthmeier said in a press release. “We are grateful for President Trump and Dr. Makary for sounding the alarm — giving my office the foundation to protect Floridians.”
Where to get naloxone
The Florida Harm Reduction Collective will mail naloxone anonymously and free of charge to anyone in the state of Florida. For more information, visit: https://www.flhrc.org/.