The state of Ohio is in a mini-panic about the kratom plant and its derivative alkaloids, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH). We should be cautious before we launch the next war on drugs, which would cause further harm to consumers and families.
Driven by some fear-mongering headlines, industry lobbying, and even Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. calling the drugs “gas station heroin” (cheeky enough for a former heroin addict), the momentum is enough that Ohio’s leaders have been called on to act.
In late August, Gov. Mike DeWine called on the State Board of Pharmacy to label the natural kratom leaf and all its compounds as Schedule 1 drugs, the harshest classification, deeming there is no medicinal use and a high potential for abuse. A scheduled board meeting was reportedly canceled after the governor spoke with HHS head RFK Jr., presumably because of upcoming federal action.
After decades of a punitive and societally destructive war on drugs, on cannabis, and other substances, are we prepared to repeat the same experiment again? Outright bans don’t magically eliminate use, but rather they drive it onto unregulated street markets, making products more dangerous and deadly while prohibiting legitimate scientific research.
Kratom and its alkaloids have been used in Southeast Asia for their stimulant and pain-relieving effects, treatment of anxiety, PTSD, and opioid withdrawal. Because these chemicals target the same brain receptors as opiates, many users take up these drugs as they aim to recover from opioid addictions. Among pharmacological researchers, there is a general consensus that these compounds have medical applications. That is worth something.
Much of the commentary on kratom and its derivatives, however, uses charged language that presumes a large-scale health crisis by an unknown drug, rather than a substance used by real people to deal with pain.
Kratom supporters have further muddied the waters by aiming to cast blame on 7-OH and call for a ban on that substance rather than the natural kratom leaf. A very effective lobby campaign in Ohio, Florida and Georgia has sought to redirect scorn for kratom derivatives while leaving the plant untouched, but anyone with a brain knows this won’t happen.
The correct answer is tough and enforceable regulations to keep consumers safe, age restrictions to keep it away from children and a governance framework that avoids needlessly criminalizing Americans and creating incentives for illicit trade while giving researchers the path to better understanding it.
Rhode Island, which once banned kratom, reversed course this year and adopted strict regulatory standards to take effect in 2026, a path Ohio should consider as well.
Right now, kratom products are sold unregulated in Ohio gas stations, smoke shops and convenience stores with little oversight. That is a problem. But banning kratom entirely won’t fix it. It will only create a black market where safety is nonexistent and no one checks for ID.
If we want to better regulate and control kratom, 7-OH, and all the derivatives, while still protecting Ohio families, that will mean creating clear and effective rules regulating dosage, labeling, and age-gating sales to minors.
Prohibition failed us before and we’re still living with the consequences. Smart regulation can protect us now.
Yaël Ossowski is the deputy director of the Consumer Choice Center.
Published in Akron Beacon Journal (archive #1, #2)