Senators Ricketts and Blumenthal Urge FDA to Schedule Both 7-OH and Kratom Leaf as Controlled Substances

Why it matters

A bipartisan Senate push to schedule not just 7-hydroxymitragynine but all kratom leaf products would be among the most sweeping federal actions taken against kratom — and could override the state-by-state patchwork of bans emerging across the country.

The big picture

Federal regulation of kratom has stalled for years. The FDA first sought to classify it as a Schedule I substance in 2016 but backed off under pressure from users and advocates. In July 2025, the FDA recommended scheduling only 7-hydroxymitragynine, leaving traditional kratom leaf products unaddressed. Meanwhile, dozens of states and municipalities have begun passing their own bans. A bipartisan letter from Senators Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), joined by 18 colleagues, calls for coordinated federal action — the most significant congressional pressure on kratom regulation since 2016.

Key findings

• Twenty U.S. senators signed a bipartisan letter urging the FDA to schedule both 7-hydroxymitragynine and traditional kratom leaf products under the Controlled Substances Act
• The letter argues that kratom is being sold openly at gas stations and online, marketed to young people without any safety or labeling requirements
• Senators cite kratom-related deaths and poison center reports as evidence of escalating public health risk
• The letter requests FDA provide a timeline for formal scheduling action under the Controlled Substances Act
• Ricketts previously introduced the SNAP Act to bar SNAP recipients from purchasing kratom

What they say

"This is an opioid-like substance being sold next to energy drinks with zero federal oversight," Sen. Ricketts said. "The FDA needs to act, and it needs to act now."

Bottom line

A bipartisan group of 20 senators is pressing the FDA to schedule both 7-OH and traditional kratom leaf as controlled substances — a move that would amount to a federal kratom prohibition.