DEA 7-OH Update: What Kratom Consumers Need to Know

On August 26, 2026, DEA placed three 7-OH-related substances into Schedule I. It did not issue a blanket ban on kratom, and its separate proposal involving 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, above a specified threshold is still under review.

At Tusk, this distinction is not new. We have never made or sold a 7-OH product, and we never will. We stayed out of that category from the beginning because elevated 7-OH products are not the same as traditional botanical kratom.

Customers should not have to decode dense federal notices or vague product labels to understand what they are buying. Here is what changed, where Tusk stands, and how a current certificate of analysis can help you verify the product in front of you.

Regulatory status reviewed August 26, 2026. Federal, state, and local requirements can change. This article provides general information and is not legal advice.

DEA 7-OH Update: What Actually Changed?

DEA took action on two related but separate issues. One action is now effective. The other is still being considered.

First, DEA temporarily placed mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, and MGM-16 into Schedule I. That order took effect on August 26, 2026, and is scheduled to remain in place through August 26, 2028 unless it is extended or replaced through the permanent scheduling process.

Second, DEA has proposed a threshold for 7-OH itself. Its July 2026 notice of intent identifies more than 0.050% 7-OH by dry weight for botanical kratom. For synthetic or further-processed articles, the proposal identifies more than 0.050% 7-OH or more than 1.00 milligram in the article.

That proposal is not yet an effective temporary scheduling order. HHS extended the public-comment deadline through September 10, 2026, so the proposed 7-OH threshold remains under review as of this article’s review date.

For anyone following the DEA 7-OH update, the short version is simple:

• Three specifically named 7-OH-related substances are now temporarily scheduled.
• The separate above-threshold 7-OH proposal is still under review.
• DEA has not announced a blanket federal scheduling of all natural kratom.

DEA 7-OH Update: Traditional Kratom vs. Elevated 7-OH

7-OH is an alkaloid associated with Mitragyna speciosa. In natural kratom leaf, federal records describe it as a minor or trace constituent. Products built around isolated, synthetic, added, or intentionally elevated 7-OH can contain far more than that natural background level.

That is why the federal proposal focuses on actual measurements. The word “kratom” on the front of a package does not tell you whether the product is traditional leaf, a botanical extract, or an elevated 7-OH product. The label and laboratory results have to answer that question.

DEA has stated that its proposed action is not intended to apply to botanical kratom containing naturally occurring 7-OH below the specified threshold. The focus is elevated and synthetic material, not a blanket treatment of natural kratom leaf.

Where Tusk Stands on the DEA 7-OH Update

We did not wait for the latest DEA action to decide where we stood. In April 2025, we published our position on 7-hydroxymitragynine versus traditional kratom. That was before FDA announced its July 2025 scheduling recommendation and warning-letter action.

The market rushed into concentrated 7-OH. We did not. Tusk has never added isolated or synthetic 7-OH to a product, intentionally enhanced a product to elevate 7-OH, or sold a product formulated and marketed around 7-OH. We will not do so going forward.

The three related substances DEA scheduled on August 26 are not used in Tusk products either. Our focus remains where it belongs: clear product identity, measurable mitragynine content, responsible manufacturing, and independent batch testing.

There is one important point of precision. Trace 7-OH can occur naturally in kratom leaf. When we say Tusk has never sold a 7-OH product, we mean no added, isolated, synthetic, or intentionally elevated 7-OH and no product built or marketed around 7-OH. We will not make a misleading claim that a naturally occurring molecule can never appear at a trace analytical level.

Why Product Testing Matters More Than Marketing

A label is a claim. A batch-matched laboratory report is evidence.

That difference matters because product labels are not always accurate. FDA announced warning letters involving concentrated 7-OH products in 2025 and a federal seizure of concentrated 7-OH products in December 2025. In February 2026, FDA also posted a recall involving a product that contained more 7-OH than its label declared.

Those actions make the buyer standard clear. Do not rely on a bold claim, a product name, or a “lab tested” badge. Look for the report connected to the exact batch being sold.

Five COA Checks Every Kratom Buyer Should Make

A certificate of analysis, or COA, should make a product easier to understand. Use these five checks before relying on it.

1. Match the batch. Find the lot or batch code on the package and make sure it matches the code on the COA. A generic report cannot verify your product.
2. Find the 7-OH result. The report should specifically list 7-hydroxymitragynine if a seller wants the COA to support a 7-OH claim. A mitragynine result alone is not enough.
3. Read the units. Check whether the result is reported as a percentage, milligrams per unit, milligrams per package, or another measurement. Percentage alone may not tell the whole story for a processed product.
4. Check the laboratory and dates. A useful report identifies the laboratory, tested sample, method, date received, and date reported. Current products deserve current documentation.
5. Review the full panel. Alkaloid testing is only part of the picture. Look for available microbial and heavy-metal results as well.

If a result says “ND,” remember that it generally means the analyte was below the laboratory’s detection or reporting limit. It does not automatically mean absolute chemical zero. A complete COA gives you enough information to understand how that result was measured.

Our guide to reading a kratom COA explains these fields in more detail. Tusk customers can also use our COA search to enter the batch number printed on a package and locate the corresponding report.

Our Commitment to the Kratom Community

Responsible kratom starts with telling customers exactly what a product is. It continues with accurate labels, independent testing, and direct access to batch documentation.

We have never sold 7-OH products, and that will not change. We’ll keep following the DEA 7-OH update, testing our products, and making the available results accessible to our customers.

The standard is not complicated. Read the label. Match the batch. Verify the numbers. That is how buyers hold the industry accountable, and it is how responsible brands earn trust.

Frequently Asked Questions

Verify Your Tusk Batch

Use our Certificate of Analysis search to find the report associated with your Tusk product. If you cannot locate the correct report, contact our support team and we will help match your package to its batch documentation.