Kratom Regulation at Midyear 2026: Eight States Ban, FDA Targets 7-OH as Enforcement Wave Hits Industry

Why it matters

Kratom regulation is at its most active point in a decade, with eight states banning the substance and the FDA formally targeting concentrated 7-OH products — shaping access for millions of users and setting precedents for how the substance will be governed nationally.

The big picture

Kratom has been unscheduled at the federal level since 2016 when the DEA withdrew a proposed ban after public outcry. But 2026 has brought a dramatically accelerated regulatory environment, with states diverging sharply between outright bans and consumer-protection frameworks, and federal agencies sending competing signals on the same substance. The FDA's June 2026 recommendation to schedule 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) products — while explicitly exempting natural leaf kratom — has crystallized the central divide: natural leaf versus concentrated synthetic derivatives.

Key findings

• Seven states banned kratom outright as of June 2026, with Tennessee becoming the eighth on July 1
• Thirty states and DC regulate kratom in some form; Rhode Island became the first state to reverse a ban, moving from prohibition to a licensed regulatory framework
• FDA recommended DEA schedule concentrated 7-OH products in June 2026, issuing warning letters to seven companies — while explicitly exempting natural kratom leaf
• CDC documented a roughly 1,200% increase in kratom-related poison center calls from 2015 to 2025
• A federal judge denied a bid to block Utah's Kratom Regulation Act, and the case has been appealed to the 10th Circuit with implications for all state frameworks
• President Trump floated federal approval for "natural 7-OH" in May 2026, splitting the industry and contradicting his administration's own scheduling push

What they say

The FDA stated its action is "specifically targeting 7-OH" and is "not focused on natural kratom leaf products," framing the June 2026 recommendation as a targeted opioid safety measure rather than a wholesale kratom crackdown.

Bottom line

**2026 is the most consequential year for kratom policy since the DEA's 2016 scheduling attempt, with a leaf-versus-7-OH dividing line defining nearly every legislative, regulatory, and enforcement action across the country.**