Trump’s Endorsement of ‘Natural 7-OH’ Stirs Debate in Kratom Industry
/By Pat Anson
The Trump administration has given another sign that it plans to keep some “natural” forms of kratom legal under federal law. Left unclear, however, is what the administration means by “natural.”
In wide-ranging remarks on healthcare Monday in the Oval Office, President Trump said his administration would seek to have “natural 7-OH” approved. That is a reference to 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), an alkaloid in kratom that has pain relieving and mood enhancing qualities.
“We’re looking very seriously at natural 7-OH and getting that approved, natural 7-OH. And we’ll take a look at that very strongly. I think Oz and everybody, we’re looking to see if we can do something there. A lot of people are asking for it. And thank you very much for the work on that,” Trump said, while gesturing towards Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Trump’s remark about “natural 7-OH” soon became a Rorschach test for rival advocacy groups in the kratom industry. Supporters of natural leaf kratom said the president was referring to the trace amount of 7-OH – usually no more than 2% – found in unadulterated kratom.
MNG Brands, a kratom vendor, said it was “encouraged by the support shown for natural leaf kratom Trump was clearly endorsing” – not the concentrated and more potent forms of 7-OH that have entered the market in recent years. Several states and dozens of cities and counties have banned those "synthetic" forms of 7-OH, saying they are potentially harmful and addictive.
"MNG Brands has long supported regulatory frameworks that protect consumers, prevent youth access, and create accountability within the industry," Dafna Revah, Chief Strategy Officer of MNG Brands, said in a statement. "We believe there is a meaningful difference between traditional natural leaf kratom products and highly concentrated or synthetic derivatives being introduced into the market without consistent standards or oversight."
But the Holistic Alternative Recovery Trust (HART), which represents 7-OH manufacturers like American Shaman, has a different take on what Trump said. A HART news release said the president was endorsing all forms of 7-OH, even the concentrated products that contain as much as 96% 7-OH.
7-OH vendors maintain that their products are “natural” since they contain an alkaloid that occurs naturally in kratom and is produced by the human body itself. That happens when the liver processes and converts mitragynine, another kratom alkaloid, into even more 7-OH.
“President Trump said his administration is trying to keep 'natural 7-OH' available. That distinction matters, and it is the same distinction lawmakers and regulators should be moving forward. Policymakers should focus on stopping bad actors, mislabeled products, unsafe marketing practices, and inconsistent manufacturing standards, not criminalizing naturally derived products that millions of Americans already use,” said Jeff Smith, HART Executive Director.
“A blanket ban on natural 7-OH is now directly at odds with the President’s stated goal. The FDA should support the direction set by the President and work toward a regulatory framework that protects consumers without eliminating lawful access to natural products.”
Mac Haddow, Senior Fellow on Public Policy for the American Kratom Association, a group of natural leaf kratom vendors, said that was a misleading take on what the president said.
“As I understand it, from people who are familiar with the President's view on this, that he was speaking about natural kratom, as opposed to synthetic or chemically manipulated 7-OH,” Haddow told PNN. “These people are deliberately misleading legislators and public health officials in order to try to make their products sound like, ‘Oh, they're okay, they're just like natural kratom.’ They are not, and it's a big con job.”
Like other dietary supplements, kratom and 7-OH currently have very little regulation under federal law. As long as manufacturers and vendors don’t make unsubstantiated medical claims about them, kratom and 7-OH can be sold legally as far as the federal government is concerned. They are not controlled substances — at least not yet.
But that hasn’t stopped states and local governments from banning 7-OH or natural leaf kratom for their opioid-like qualities, as many have in recent months.
It’s been nearly a year since the FDA said it would ask the DEA to have 7-OH – but not whole leaf kratom – classified as an illegal Schedule One controlled substance. The DEA has yet to act on the FDA’s request, leaving 7-OH in a legal limbo.
President Trump’s remark this week doesn’t change 7-OH’s status, but it does signal that the administration is willing to have some forms of 7-OH remain on the market. Whether that’s the “natural” 2% or concentrated 96% versions remains unclear.
