American Kratom Association Asks HHS to Disregard Paid and Duplicate Comments Flooding 7-OH Docket

Why it matters

The HHS docket HHS-OASH-2026-0232 — which closes July 31 — will inform the Attorney General's decision on where to set the 7-OH concentration threshold for Schedule I placement. The AKA is alleging that commercial vendors and 7-OH advocates have compromised that docket through incentivized and duplicate submissions, which could distort the scientific record federal officials rely on.

The big picture

On July 1, 2026, the DEA announced intent to temporarily schedule 7-hydroxymitragynine products above a defined concentration threshold. HHS-OASH opened a 30-day Request for Information specifically seeking scientific data on what that threshold should be. The window closes July 31, and comments will go to the Attorney General. The AKA — which supports natural kratom access and the DEA's action targeting synthetic 7-OH products — argues the docket has been flooded with non-scientific submissions designed to look like broad public opposition.

Key findings

• Reddit posts showed commenters explicitly instructing others to use incognito browsers, different email addresses, and fake names to submit multiple comments
• One Reddit user admitted to filing 2-3 anonymous comments while pretending to be different people each time
• The commercial vendor 7OH.com offered $20 store credit to customers who submitted a docket comment and provided proof
• The store credit reward does not require scientific expertise — only submission of a comment
• AKA asked HHS not to evaluate the docket by raw comment volume
• AKA requested that compensated, duplicate, and anecdotal submissions be weighted separately from peer-reviewed scientific evidence

What they say

AKA Senior Fellow Mac Haddow wrote: "A commercial industry [should not] be allowed to compensate its customers to flood a federal docket and then cite the resulting number of comments as evidence that its products are safe."

Bottom line

**With 9 days left before the HHS-OASH-2026-0232 docket closes, the AKA has formally asked federal officials to weigh only scientifically credible submissions in setting the 7-OH threshold — pointing to evidence of purchased and fake comments inflating the record.**