DEA Issues Notices of Intent to Temporarily Schedule 7-OH, Mitragynine Pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, and MGM-16

Why it matters

The DEA's July 1, 2026 Notices of Intent mark the most significant federal regulatory action targeting kratom-derived products in nearly a decade. Once temporary scheduling orders take effect, manufacturing, distributing, selling, and possessing covered substances become federal criminal offenses under the Controlled Substances Act.

The big picture

The federal scheduling action follows an FDA recommendation from July 2025 that concentrated 7-OH products be placed in Schedule I. The DEA's notices target 7-OH above a concentration threshold, plus three related synthetic compounds: mitragynine pseudoindoxyl (a chemical rearrangement of 7-OH), MGM-15, and MGM-16 (synthetic 7-OH derivatives). Natural whole-leaf kratom below the concentration threshold is not targeted by the current notices. A 30-day public comment period must close before the Attorney General can issue the final temporary scheduling order.

Key findings

• DEA issued two Notices of Intent on July 1, 2026 to temporarily place 7-OH and three related substances into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.
• Substances covered: 7-hydroxymitragynine (above threshold), mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15 (dihydro-7-OH), and MGM-16 (9-fluoro derivative of 7-OH).
• Concentration thresholds: botanical kratom containing more than 0.050% 7-OH dry-weight basis; synthetic products containing more than 0.050% or more than 1.0 mg of 7-OH per article; and processed kratom products exceeding the same threshold.
• MGM-15, MGM-16, and mitragynine pseudoindoxyl do not occur naturally in the kratom plant — they are synthetic or chemical-rearrangement products.
• A 30-day public comment period followed publication of the notices in the Federal Register.
• Once finalized, manufacture, distribution, sale, and possession of covered substances become subject to federal criminal, civil, and administrative CSA provisions.

What they say

According to the DEA, these substances "exhibit psychoactive, opioid-like effects, have unpredictable potency, no currently accepted medical use, high potential for abuse, and pose an imminent hazard to public safety."

Bottom line

**The DEA's July 2026 scheduling notices, if finalized, would make concentrated 7-OH products and three synthetic kratom derivatives federally illegal — a landmark shift in the U.S. regulatory approach to kratom-derived opioids.**