Missouri AG Bars St. Louis Kratom Retailer as Federal 7-OH Ban Imminent, Congressional Conflict-of-Interest Probe Emerges

Why it matters

Missouri's agreement with Green Dragon marks another state-level enforcement action against 7-OH retailers ahead of federal scheduling, while a Senate Finance Committee investigation into a potential conflict of interest involving a senior Trump administration official has injected new political complexity into the DEA rulemaking.

The big picture

Missouri AG Catherine Hanaway has now secured voluntary compliance agreements with multiple kratom and 7-OH distributors using existing consumer protection statutes—a template for state enforcement that doesn't require a formal kratom ban. The DEA's temporary scheduling order, expected imminently, would render 7-OH products federally illegal; Missouri says it would enact a parallel emergency rule within 10 days of the federal order taking effect.

Key findings

• Agreement bars Green Dragon and its owners from selling, marketing, or holding a financial interest in any Missouri kratom business
• Green Dragon must remove all 7-OH and kratom products from Missouri stores and cease all distribution and advertising in the state
• Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) is investigating whether DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin has a financial stake (up to $1M) in Botanic Tonics, a kratom competitor, creating an alleged conflict of interest in the DEA scheduling process
• Missouri received more than 11,000 public comments on the DEA's proposed 7-OH concentration thresholds before the July 31 deadline
• The DEA's temporary scheduling designation would last two years and could be extended a third year while permanent scheduling is considered

What they say

"These unregulated, highly addictive drugs have taken lives and fueled addiction across our state," AG Hanaway said. "This resolution is another decisive step to protect Missouri families from the deadly impact of gas-station opioids. Our office will continue pursuing any distributor or retailer that puts Missourians in jeopardy."

Bottom line

Missouri's steady enforcement campaign against 7-OH retailers—now combined with a Senate conflict-of-interest investigation involving the DEA rulemaking—signals that kratom regulation is becoming a politically charged and legally contested front as federal scheduling nears.