American Kratom Association Warns Consumers Not to Let 7-OH Industry Hijack Federal Comment Process

Why it matters

The AKA's split from 7-OH manufacturers represents a major fracture within the kratom industry at the most critical regulatory moment in years. Understanding the distinction these advocates draw between natural kratom leaf and semi-synthetic 7-OH products is essential for following the federal rulemaking now underway.

The big picture

When the DEA filed its temporary scheduling notices for 7-OH in July 2026, manufacturers of concentrated 7-OH products urged natural kratom leaf consumers to flood the HHS Request for Information with opposition comments — framing the action as an attack on all kratom. The AKA, which successfully pushed back against a 2016 DEA attempt to schedule all kratom, rejected this framing. The organization drew a sharp line between traditional botanical kratom and chemically manipulated 7-OH opioid products, arguing the two are fundamentally different.

Key findings

• The HHS RFI is a request for scientific evidence on 7-OH concentration thresholds — not a public referendum on consumer preferences
• DEA, HHS, and FDA have each explicitly stated their action targets concentrated 7-OH products above a specified threshold, not natural kratom leaf
• The AKA argues manufacturers falsely claim scheduling concentrated 7-OH will automatically ban natural kratom leaf
• AKA accused 7-OH manufacturers of marketing chemically synthesized opioids as though they were ordinary kratom, deceiving consumers
• AKA called on researchers and toxicologists with responsive scientific data to submit formal comments; told consumers not to submit personal testimonials as pseudo-scientific evidence

What they say

"Consumers who care about natural kratom are being set up," said Mac Haddow, Senior Fellow on Public Policy for the American Kratom Association. "The 7-OH industry manufactured a crisis, dressed up high-potency opioids as kratom, and now wants to hide behind the very consumers it put at risk."

Bottom line

The AKA's position — protect natural kratom leaf by clearly separating it from synthetic 7-OH opioids — has split the kratom advocacy community and shapes the politics of the federal rulemaking process.