The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Emergency Scheduled Novel Synthetic Alkaloids. This Action Does Not Impact Natural Kratom Leaf Products

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have taken decisive action to protect public health by emergency-scheduling specific novel concentrated synthetic alkaloids.

This order explicitly targets manufactured, high-potency synthetic opioid products that have been masquerading as dietary supplements.

Crucially, federal officials were clear: Natural kratom leaf products are NOT affected by this emergency scheduling order.

What Has Been Scheduled?

The DEA has classified the following synthetic substances as Schedule I, effectively banning their sale:

  • Concentrated Synthetic 7-Hydroxymitragynine (7-OH)

  • Concentrated Synthetic Mitragynine Pseudoindoxyl

  • Synthetic MGM-15

What Remains Legal?

Natural Kratom Leaf. The federal government has rightly distinguished between dangerous lab-created synthetics and the natural kratom leaf, which has been used safely for centuries in South East Asia and at least 50 years in the U.S..

  • Protected: Capsules, powders, teas, tonics, and liquid products that contain natural kratom leaf.

  • Why: Natural leaf contains only trace amounts of these alkaloids and presents minimal health concerns compared to the hyper-concentrated synthetics.

Resources & Tools

We have prepared the following resources to help consumers, vendors, and policymakers distinguish between safe, natural kratom leaf products and the banned synthetic alkaloid products.

  • Novel Synthetic Alkaloid Database Search the database to identify products that are now illegal under federal law. [View Database]

  • One-Page Fact Sheet A quick-reference guide on the DEA scheduling order and the distinction between legal natural kratom leaf and illegal novel synthetic alkaloid products. [Download Fact Sheet]

  • Product Differentiation Guide Visual examples showing the difference between legal natural kratom leaf products and illegal synthetic alkaloid products. [View Images]

Media & Reporting Resources are Critical. 

The DEA’s scheduling is specific to [INSERT}. Natural kratom leaf remains federally legal. To avoid misleading the public, please use the provided B-roll footage, which features only the specific novel synthetic products targeted by this enforcement action.

The Path Forward

The Global Kratom Coalition (GKC) supports swift enforcement to remove these dangerous synthetic alkaloid products from store shelves and online marketplaces, whilst protecting access to natural kratom leaf products.