Helping Legislators, State Officials, Staffers, and Agency Personnel
Understand Kratom Policy
What kratom is, where it comes from, who uses it, what the common claims get wrong, and what the newest federal research shows — written for readers with two minutes, sourced for readers with two hours.
Federal action · October 9, 2026
DOJ, DEA, and HHS drew a line between natural kratom and concentrated opioid products.
In coordinated action, the three agencies targeted 7-OH and related compounds that have been concentrated, synthesized, or chemically enhanced — using thresholds built so that botanical kratom, which naturally contains only trace 7-OH, is not swept into Schedule I.
DOJ
Emergency scheduling aimed at enhanced products
Updated actions on 7-OH, MGPI, MGM-15 and MGM-16 replace a blanket approach with thresholds that separate trace-level botanical products from deliberately concentrated ones.
DEA
Two Notices of Intent
Synthetic derivatives MGM-15 and MGM-16 are controlled in any amount. A new notice for 7-OH and MGPI incorporates HHS's concentration and ratio thresholds.
HHS
Science-based thresholds
Controlled only above 1 mg/g (solid) or 1 mg/mL (liquid), or where mitragynine is less than 100× the 7-OH/MGPI content. Natural leaf sits well outside both tests.
Not Targeted by DOJ
Natural botanical kratom
Leaf, powder, and properly formulated products with an alkaloid profile consistent with the plant.
Schedule I (temporary)
Enhanced, concentrated, or synthetic
Fortified 7-OH or MGPI above the thresholds, and MGM-15 / MGM-16 in any amount.
The briefings
Five questions, answered plainly
Each briefing reads in about two minutes and lists its sources at the bottom.
- 01What Is Kratom?A plant in the coffee family, used for centuries in Southeast Asia — and what its pharmacology does and doesn't mean.Read briefing
- 02Where Is Kratom Grown?The Southeast Asian supply chain behind roughly 95% of U.S. kratom, and why standards there and here go together.Read briefing
- 03Who Uses Kratom?Millions of American adults — veterans, workers, people in recovery — and the research on how and why they use it.Read briefing
- 04Common MisconceptionsFive claims lawmakers hear most often, checked against the federal record and peer-reviewed evidence.Read briefing
- 05The Latest ScienceAn NIH clinical trial, a comprehensive 2024 safety review, and where the research consensus points.Read briefing
Video
Congressional briefings & Hearings
In their own words
Advocate stories
Thousands of American consumers have gone on the record about kratom's role in their lives. These accounts are representative of the testimony collected at AdvocateStory.org.
“I came home with pain the VA answered with opioids. Kratom is how I got off them, kept my job, and stayed present for my kids. A ban would take that away from thousands of us.”
Army veteran, Ohio
Chronic pain and post-traumatic stress
“I work nights on my feet. I want a product with an honest label, a tested batch, and an age limit — not a black market. Regulation is what keeps people like me safe.”
Registered nurse, Florida
Twelve-hour shifts, long recovery
“Kratom was the bridge out of an addiction that nearly killed me. Eight years later I own my business. Lawmakers should hear that before they vote.”
Electrician, Georgia
Eight years in recovery
Where the AKA stands
Regulate, don't ban.
The American Kratom Association advocates enforceable product standards, honest labeling, age restrictions, and testing requirements through the Kratom Consumer Protection Act. Bans hand the market to unregulated sellers; regulation sets standards and holds sellers to them.
See the claims checkedBriefings for legislative offices
Request a meeting for your office.
AKA policy directors brief elected officials, committee staff, and agency personnel on kratom regulation, product standards, and pending bill language — in person, by phone, or by video.
See how the briefings work