Wyoming Retailers Purge 7-OH Inventory as State and Federal Bans Converge

Why it matters

Wyoming provides a ground-level look at how simultaneous state and federal restrictions play out in practice — retailers are removing products voluntarily while enforcement mechanisms and legal thresholds are still being worked out.

The big picture

Wyoming passed a state law earlier in 2026 banning sale of kratom products to those under 21 and prohibiting any product containing synthesized or semi-synthesized alkaloids, or 7-OH above 2% concentration. With the federal DEA scheduling order set to take effect August 5 and Wyoming's automatic adoption of federal controlled-substance schedules, the combined effect is effectively a near-total ban on concentrated 7-OH. Vape shops and convenience stores around Casper have mostly cleared their 7-OH inventories ahead of the deadline. The state allocated $115,000 from opioid settlement funds to enforcement and testing infrastructure.

Key findings

• Wyoming's 2026 state law bans sale of kratom to people under 21 and prohibits products with more than 2% 7-OH or any synthesized alkaloids.
• Wyoming's controlled substance schedule automatically mirrors federal scheduling, meaning the DEA's August 5 order would make 7-OH a state crime as well unless the attorney general files an objection within 30 days.
• Retailers in Casper had largely sold off 7-OH inventory voluntarily before the deadline.
• The state's law directs $115,000 from opioid settlement funds to create a full-time testing position in the Department of Agriculture.
• A violation of the state act is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

What they say

"The more research we did, the more convinced we were that this product should be banned in Wyoming," said Sen. Bill Landen, who told the Senate Judiciary Committee that the substance appeared in toxicology reports of suicide victims and that the Laramie County coroner had confirmed an overdose death.

Bottom line

Wyoming's voluntary retail compliance ahead of the August 5 deadline shows the practical market impact of the DEA's scheduling action — but enforcement infrastructure is still being built.