The Ohio Board of Pharmacy issued an emergency ruling Friday banning most kratom products.
This was in response to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine once again asking the Ohio Board of Pharmacy to designate all natural and synthetic kratom compounds as illegal drugs last week.
DeWine originally made this request in August, but paused his call for a kratom ban after talking with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“In reviewing this issue over the past few weeks, national experts, including the (Food and Drug Administration), agree that synthetic kratom compounds should be scheduled as illegal,” DeWine said in a statement last week.
The Ohio Board of Pharmacy’s emergency rule makes it illegal to sell, possess, or distribute any kratom-related products — including synthetic 7-hydroxymitragynine, known as 7-OH. Products composed solely of mitragynine, including natural kratom in its vegetation form, are the only exception. A product containing mitragynine and another derivative form of kratom, such as 7-OH, would be illegal to sell, possess, or distribute.
The emergency ruling is in effect for 180 days, meaning it will expire on June 10, 2026. The Board said it will propose a permanent rule to ban all kratom-related products during this time.
Kratom is a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia and its leaves can be crushed and smoked, brewed or placed in gel capsules. Consuming it at low doses can lead to stimulant effects while high doses can lead to sedative effects. People often take kratom to treat chronic pain, opioid dependence, anxiety, and depression.
The 2023 National Survey on Drug Use & Health estimates there are 1.6 million annual kratom users in the United States. Reported side effects of kratom include high blood pressure, confusion, seizures, weight loss, vomiting, dizziness, and drowsiness.
Kratom is not controlled under the Controlled Substances Act and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns against using kratom because of adverse risk effects such as liver toxicity, seizures, and substance use disorder.
The synthetic version of kratom, concentrated with 7-OH, is an opioid-like substance and over the summer the FDA recommended scheduling 7-OH products under the Controlled Substances Act. The FDA clarified they are not focused on natural kratom leaf products.
Poison control centers in the United States received more than 3,400 reports about kratom use — including death — from 2014 to 2019, according to the Mayo Clinic. Kratom was the cause of death in more than 200 unintentional overdoses deaths in Ohio from 2019 to 2024, according to preliminary data from the Ohio Department of Health.
However, most deaths from kratom also involved other drugs or substances, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
“While there is a clear path to take action on synthetic kratom, I still have deep concerns about natural kratom, given the harms, including fatalities, attributed to it,” DeWine said. “Pursuing the regular rule process for a ban on natural kratom will allow for hearings, testimony, and a deliberative process.”
Ohio Sen. Bill Blessing, R-Colerain Township, introduced Ohio Senate Bill 299, which would regulate natural kratom products and ban the synthetic version. The bill has had sponsor testimony.
Ohio Republican State Reps. Mike Odioso and Brian Lorenz recently introduced Ohio House Bill 587, a companion bill.
It is illegal to buy, use or possess kratom in Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin. Kratom is illegal in some countries including Australia, Denmark, Israel, and Japan, among others.
Originally published by the Ohio Capital Journal. Republished here with permission.