California Reports 95% Business Compliance After Kratom and 7-OH Product Removal Campaign

Why it matters

California's enforcement sweep shows that rapid, coordinated state action can remove thousands of unregulated kratom products from shelves in weeks — a potential model for other states weighing similar crackdowns.

The big picture

California has long prohibited the sale of kratom and 7-OH as food or dietary supplements, but enforcement had been inconsistent. Following a string of linked deaths in LA County in late 2025, the state launched a coordinated education and enforcement campaign through ABC and CDPH. The effort joins a growing wave of state-level action targeting unregulated kratom and synthetic 7-OH products.

Key findings

• 3,308 illicit kratom and 7-OH products were removed from California shelves in just three weeks
• California businesses achieved 95% compliance with the removal order
• A CDC analysis found kratom implicated in 846 fatal overdoses across 30 states and D.C. in 2022
• California data shows 242 kratom-linked deaths between 2020–2022, with 27 solely attributed to kratom
• LA County identified fatal overdoses in residents aged 18–40 with no other substances involved
• Products had been marketed as dietary supplements, drinks, and gummies without FDA approval

What they say

"Despite the wide availability of kratom-derived and 7-OH products, and unproven claims about their benefits, these products are associated with addiction, serious harm, overdose, and death, and have not been approved by the FDA as a food, supplement, or additive," said CDPH Assistant Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Rita Nguyen.

Bottom line

California achieved near-total compliance removing thousands of kratom and 7-OH products from shelves in three weeks, demonstrating that aggressive state-level enforcement can produce rapid results.