First published July 31; updated August 26 to reflect DEA Schedule I listing and public comment extension actions published in the Federal Register on August 26
For two years, anyone has been able to walk into a vape shop or convenience store in Michigan and other states, hand over cash or a credit card, and walk out with as much of a substance called 7-OH and other related products as they can afford. Or they can click online and get it shipped to them.
They may have turned to 7-OH and other synthetic opioids at first to get relief from pain, anxiety or stress, or as an alternative to illegal drugs.
After all, 7-OH and synthetic opioid products have been touted as “natural” relatives of plant-derived kratom products that have been around for years.
But for many, including those who “graduated” from kratom to the more potent 7-OH and synthetic opioids often touted as kratom-related, their initial relief turned into an addiction they now can’t kick.
That’s because kratom, 7-OH and the related synthetic opioids act on the brain’s opioid receptors.
And for some people, that triggers a need to buy ever-higher doses to get the same effect, and a pattern of craving another dose sooner than before.
Now, users of three synthetic opioids — mitragynine pseudoindoxyl (MP), MGM-15, and MGM-16 — will be unable to buy products containing them legally in Michigan and other states that have not yet banned them, as of August 26, 2026.
That’s because the United States Drug Enforcement Agency has temporarily placed these compounds on its Schedule I list of drugs, the same class as heroin and LSD. Under the drug scheduling system, the Schedule I listing means it will be illegal to sell or prescribe them in any way, in any state.
What about 7-OH, or 7-Hydroxymitragynine, the more well-known synthetic form of an opioid also found in the plant called kratom?
As of August 26, it has not been placed on a federal drug schedule. So products containing it and not the other three compounds could still technically be sold in states where 7-OH has not yet been banned.
But as of August 26, the DEA has reopened public comments on a proposed temporary Schedule I placement for products containing 7-OH above a certain threshold. Anyone can now submit a comment until the end of September 10. After the comment period ends, DEA can decide whether to proceed with the scheduling.
A previous public comment period on both temporary rescheduling proposals was announced July 1 and ended July 31. It brought in tens of thousands of comments.
The DEA proposed both reschedulings because of the sharp rise in poisonings, cases of addiction and overdose deaths seen since 7-OH and other synthetic opioid products came on the market in the U.S. in late 2024.
Read the full article on Michigan Medicine’s website
Additional mentions