Attorney General James Uthmeier on Monday signed an emergency rule immediately classifying highly concentrated 7-hydroxymitragynine, known as 7-OH, and several related compounds as Schedule I controlled substances in Florida.
The rule took effect immediately and is aimed at products sold in gas stations, vape shops and online under brand names such as Hydroxy, 7Tabz, 777 Jackpot Alkaloids, Roxy 7-OH and 7OHMZ. Uthmeier said the products pose “an imminent hazard to the public safety of Floridians,” particularly children and teenagers.
The rule applies to 7-hydroxymitragynine, mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, 7-acetoxymitragynine, 9-hydroxycorynantheidine, 10-hydroxycorynantheidine, MGM-15 and MGM-16. It places the compounds under Schedule I, allowing felony-level arrests, prosecutions, product seizures and enforcement actions against illegal manufacturers and sellers.
7-OH occurs naturally in kratom in trace amounts, according to the Attorney General’s Office, but concentrated versions being sold commercially are far more potent. State officials said the products act on opioid receptors and can cause respiratory depression, rapid addiction and severe withdrawal.
Florida medical examiners have linked at least 587 overdose deaths to the substances since 2013, according to the release. The Attorney General’s Office also cited hundreds of recent Poison Control cases, with more than 25% requiring ICU care.
The emergency rule prohibits products from containing more than 1 milligram of the covered chemicals per gram for solids or pills, or per milliliter for liquids. Any product containing any amount of 7-OH or related compounds must also contain at least 100 times more regular mitragynine by mass.
Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson said state inspectors have removed more than 23,000 illegal 7-OH packages from retailers since a prior emergency rule took effect.
Violations of the rule can carry criminal penalties up to 30 years in prison.
