FLORIDA – Attorney General James Uthmeier signed an emergency rule that took effect immediately to control highly concentrated 7-hydroxymitragynine (7‑OH) and several related chemical products being sold across Florida.
Uthmeier said the rule expands Schedule I to cover new 7‑OH–related compounds because the concentrated products “present an imminent hazard to the public safety of Floridians — especially our children and teens.” He said the measure will remove the products from store shelves and hold manufacturers and sellers accountable.
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The rule:
- Limits the chemicals to no more than 1 milligram per gram (for solids or pills) or per milliliter (for liquids).
- Requires that any product containing any amount of 7‑OH or its related compounds also contain at least 100 times more regular mitragynine by mass, to prevent super‑concentrated or chemically altered formulas.
- Places the chemicals in Schedule I, allowing felony arrests, prosecutions, product seizures and shutdowns of illegal manufacturers and sellers.
Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson said the state has already removed more than 23,000 illegal 7‑OH packages from retailers since an earlier emergency rule and that inspectors continue routine checks and targeted sweeps.
State Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo and medical leaders at Tampa General Hospital and Florida Poison Control warned that concentrated 7‑OH products act on opioid receptors and have been linked to addiction, overdose and seizures.
Health officials said exposure and overdoses involving 7‑OH mitragynine have risen in recent years and have affected people of all ages. Florida medical examiners have linked at least 587 overdose deaths to the chemicals since 2013, officials said; poison control centers have reported hundreds of recent cases, more than 25% of which required intensive care.
The rule covers 7‑hydroxymitragynine and related chemicals including mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, 7‑acetoxymitragynine, 9‑hydroxycorynantheidine, 10‑hydroxycorynantheidine, MGM‑15 and MGM‑16.
Officials said the chemicals occur naturally in kratom in trace amounts (about 0.01%–0.04%) but are being sold in far more hazardous, concentrated forms under brand names such as Hydroxy, 7Tabz, 777 Jackpot Alkaloids, Roxy 7‑OH and 7OHMZ. Suppliers have used mislabeling tactics to evade detection, officials said.
Violations of the rule can carry serious criminal penalties, including up to 30 years in prison.
Representative Dean Black said public safety should guide the response to the products. Hospital and poison‑control physicians praised the state’s actions and urged prevention and continued enforcement to keep the substances out of reach of children and families.