Kansas Bill Would Schedule Kratom Alongside Heroin — Opponents Say It Wrongly Bundles Kratom With Synthetic 7-OH

Why it matters

Kansas Senate Bill 497 represents the ongoing national tension over how to regulate kratom and its synthetic derivative 7-OH — substances with vastly different risk profiles that policymakers often conflate.

The big picture

States across the country are grappling with how to handle kratom and the emerging market for synthetic 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) products, which the FDA has moved to restrict as an opioid-like substance. The core debate is whether to ban both or differentiate them — a question with major consequences for the estimated 1–2 million kratom users in the U.S.

Key findings

• Kansas SB 497 would classify both kratom and 7-OH as Schedule I controlled substances — the same category as heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine
• The bill was heard February 17, 2026 by the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee
• Both proponents and opponents agreed that 7-OH poses serious risks; opponents argued kratom itself should not be included
• A lab technician from Lenexa testified he is seeing more 7-OH in drug screens than oxycodone, hydrocodone, and fentanyl combined
• Kansas City, Missouri had just banned 7-OH sales and restricted kratom sales to adults 21+ on February 13
• The FDA has already recommended scheduling 7-OH as a controlled substance and clarified it is "not focused on natural kratom leaf products"

What they say

"If we continue to allow widespread retail access to substances that act like opioids, we will see opioid-type consequences that include more addiction and overdoses and preventable deaths in our state," said Sara Hortenstine of the Kansas Attorney General's Office.

Bottom line

Kansas lawmakers are debating whether to ban all kratom or target only synthetic 7-OH — a distinction that scientists, the FDA, and many stakeholders say is critical but that legislators find difficult to enforce.