The Federal 7-OH Ban: Dates and Scope

Last verified against primary sources on November 14, 2026. This page tracks published orders and notices on public inspection before publication.

Status: new notice for 7-OH and pseudo

As of November 14, 2026, 7-OH is not federally scheduled. DEA filed a new notice of intent for 7-OH and mitragynine pseudoindoxyl on October 9, following a new HHS recommendation. It changes the proposed threshold and starts a new 30-day notice period when DEA publishes it in the Federal Register. The notice itself does not put 7-OH in Schedule I.

Pseudo, MGM-15, and MGM-16 remain Schedule I under the August 26, 2026 order. The new proposal does not make possession of below-threshold pseudo lawful today. DEA says the existing order stays in effect until it expires or DEA publishes the replacement order and withdraws the previous one.

The public-inspection filing lists October 14, 2026 as the new notice’s publication date. If DEA publishes it that day, the earliest new temporary order would be November 13, 2026, 30 days later. That is an earliest possible date, not a confirmed ban date. DEA says it intends to issue the order as soon as possible after the waiting period and that the order would take effect on its publication date.

Date	Event
July 1, 2026	DEA filed its original notices of intent for 7-OH and three related compounds.
July 6, 2026	The original notices published, starting their 30-day waiting period.
July 31, 2026	The initial HHS comment period on the 7-OH threshold closed with 32,145 comments submitted.
August 5, 2026	The original notices’ earliest order date passed without an order.
August 26, 2026	DEA’s order for pseudo, MGM-15, and MGM-16 published and took effect. HHS reopened its threshold comment period through September 10.
September 10, 2026	The extended HHS comment period closed.
October 9, 2026	DEA filed new notices for 7-OH/pseudo and for MGM-15/MGM-16 on public inspection.
October 14, 2026 (scheduled)	Publication date listed for the two new notices. Publication starts a new 30-day waiting period.
November 13, 2026 (conditional)	Earliest new order date if the notices publish October 14. DEA has not announced an order date.
November 14, 2026	Latest check against the Federal Register and public inspection: no temporary scheduling order for 7-OH; the August order remains in effect for the other three compounds.

The revised threshold

The new 7-OH/pseudo notice, document 2026-20943 (Docket DEA-1570) proposes Schedule I controls if either of the following tests applies. Use the amount of 7-OH or pseudo alone, or their combined amount when both are present:

Concentration: more than 1 mg per gram in solid powders, capsules, or other solids, or more than 1 mg per milliliter in liquids. For solids, 1 mg/g equals 0.1% by weight.
Ratio: the mass of mitragynine divided by the mass of 7-OH, pseudo, or their combined mass is less than 100. A product would need at least 100 mg of mitragynine for each 1 mg of combined 7-OH and pseudo to meet this part of the threshold.

A product has to meet both limits to fall outside the proposed controls. A concentration at or below 1 mg/g or 1 mg/mL does not exempt a product whose mitragynine ratio is below 100:1. The notice uses strict inequalities: concentration greater than the limit, or a ratio less than 100, would trigger scheduling.

Reading the limits in plain English

Add the 7-OH and pseudo together first. To stay outside the proposed controls, a product needs to satisfy both rules:

Each gram of a solid or milliliter of a liquid contains no more than 1 mg of combined 7-OH and pseudo.
The product contains at least 100 mg of mitragynine for every 1 mg of combined 7-OH and pseudo.

The first rule measures how concentrated the product is. The second checks how much mitragynine accompanies the 7-OH and pseudo. Passing one rule does not make up for failing the other. Exactly 1 mg/g or 1 mg/mL and exactly 100:1 meet the proposed limits.

The concentration limit is not a 1 mg cap per tablet, serving, or package. A 10 mL bottle containing 4 mg of 7-OH has 0.4 mg/mL. A 1-gram tablet containing 2 mg has 2 mg/g. You need the product’s weight or liquid volume, plus the amounts of mitragynine, 7-OH, and pseudo, to check both tests.

Product examples

These examples use hypothetical lab results. “Pass” means outside the proposed threshold controls; it does not establish safety or compliance with other laws. Pseudo remains Schedule I at any concentration under the current order, including in a product that would pass the proposed tests.

Product and lab result	7-OH + pseudo	Ratio	Proposed result
Kratom powder: 1 g with 10 mg mitragynine, 0.05 mg 7-OH, no pseudo	0.05 mg/g	200:1	Passes both.
Low-concentration liquid: 10 mL with 500 mg mitragynine, 4 mg 7-OH, no pseudo	0.4 mg/mL	125:1	Passes both, even with more than 1 mg of 7-OH in the bottle.
Concentrated tablet: 1 g with 200 mg mitragynine, 2 mg 7-OH, no pseudo	2 mg/g	100:1	Fails concentration. Enough mitragynine does not exempt it.
Low-mitragynine tablet: 1 g with 25 mg mitragynine, 0.5 mg 7-OH, no pseudo	0.5 mg/g	50:1	Fails the ratio. Low 7-OH concentration alone does not exempt it.
Mixed tablet: 1 g with 150 mg mitragynine, 0.6 mg 7-OH and 0.6 mg pseudo	1.2 mg/g combined	125:1	Fails concentration. Each compound is below 1 mg/g on its own, but their total exceeds it.

The original July notice proposed 0.050% and, for processed or synthetic articles, a separate 1 mg-per-article test. DEA now says it is withdrawing that notice in a separate document and proposes the new concentration and ratio tests in its place. We have not yet located that separate withdrawal filing; the October notice states DEA’s plan. The old thresholds and August 5 waiting period should no longer guide planning around this proposal.

DEA says the threshold allows some products to remain outside Schedule I controls. Neither DEA nor HHS has found below-threshold products safe to use. These are proposed federal scheduling limits; state restrictions and other federal requirements still apply.

Pseudo, MGM-15, and MGM-16 remain Schedule I

The August 26 temporary scheduling order covers these three compounds at any concentration, including their isomers, esters, ethers, and salts:

Mitragynine pseudoindoxyl (MP / pseudo), a rearrangement product of 7-OH sold in tablets, candies, and shots.
MGM-15 (dihydro-7-hydroxymitragynine), a synthetic 7-OH derivative.
MGM-16 (9-fluoro-dihydro-7-hydroxymitragynine), a fluorinated analog of MGM-15.

Unauthorized possession, manufacture, distribution, and sale remain unlawful under that order. It runs through August 26, 2028 unless DEA replaces it sooner. Its compliance windows for DEA registrants did not give consumers a possession grace period.

The new proposal would bring pseudo under the same combined threshold as 7-OH after DEA issues the replacement order and withdraws its existing placement. Until then, the blanket pseudo controls remain in effect.

DEA also filed a companion notice, document 2026-20942 (Docket DEA-1644) for MGM-15 and MGM-16. It proposes keeping both in Schedule I without a threshold, separating their order from pseudo’s proposed threshold treatment. DEA describes this as a technical and procedural change. The existing MGM controls remain in effect during the transition.

Labels cannot establish which compounds a product contains. DEA’s notices describe lab findings of pseudo in products sold as other kratom-derived substances.

Emergency scheduling and the new waiting period

DEA uses the temporary scheduling authority in 21 U.S.C. § 811(h). It can issue a Schedule I order for two years on a finding of an imminent hazard to public safety, with a possible one-year extension while permanent scheduling proceedings are underway.

The statute requires at least 30 days from publication of the notice of intent and from notice to HHS before DEA issues the order. DEA notified HHS on October 8 and filed the new notices on October 9. Public-inspection filing does not start the publication clock. The October 14 publication date listed in the filings is the basis for the conditional November 13 earliest-order date above.

The new 7-OH/pseudo notice says the order would take effect the day DEA publishes it. It does not promise another grace period after the order. Temporary scheduling follows an order process rather than the formal rulemaking and hearing process used for permanent scheduling; § 811(h)(6) states that a temporary order is not subject to judicial review.

Public comments: closed September 10

The HHS comment period closed September 10, 2026. The HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health ran a Request for Information (Docket HHS-OASH-2026-0232) on the original threshold and extended the period on August 26.

As of November 14, the docket showed 30,346 comments posted.

The docket reported 35,946 submissions received on September 12, 2026.

OASH sought scientific data on the threshold and alternatives for measuring it. It did not seek comments on permanent scheduling, general kratom policy, or whether scheduling should happen.

The October 7-OH/pseudo notice does not reopen that HHS comment period or announce a new public comment deadline. DEA says its temporary scheduling process does not require notice-and-comment rulemaking, even though the Federal Register labels the filing a proposed rule.

Planning if you use 7-OH

The new waiting period gives a different planning timeline from the July proposal. DEA has not set a confirmed order date, and stores or suppliers can stop selling before a federal order takes effect. Running out without a plan can mean unplanned withdrawal.

The site documents several paths:

A structured taper or planned stop: start with How to Quit 7-OH, or Withdrawal Help if you’re already in withdrawal.
Tapering with kratom leaf: the proposed controls leave products meeting both threshold tests outside these Schedule I placements. State restrictions still apply.
Suboxone: a medication-assisted option through a prescriber.
Cold turkey with helper medications and the quit kit.

A steep, rushed taper can make withdrawal harder. Planning with the supply you have gives you time to weigh a taper, a leaf transition, or prescribed treatment. The conditional November 13 date is not a guarantee of retail availability until then.

Stockpiling does not remove the legal risk. Pseudo, MGM-15, and MGM-16 already fall under Schedule I controls. Covered 7-OH would fall under those controls on the new order’s effective date.

Products from unregulated sellers can contain undisclosed compounds. Mixing 7-OH or opioids with alcohol, benzodiazepines, or other depressants increases the danger and calls for professional withdrawal supervision. Call the SAMHSA Helpline (1-800-662-4357) or use findtreatment.gov.

For peer support and discussion of supply changes, the Discord and r/quitting7oh are the community’s resources.

DEA’s stated rationale

DEA cites high-concentration products, poison-control reports, adverse-event reports, and undisclosed compounds in retail products. The new notices describe the evidence DEA relies on to find an imminent hazard to public safety. Their threshold provisions do not amount to approval of below-threshold products.

This site does not take a position on the ban. See Where the Site Stands. The purpose of this page is to give you accurate dates, scope, and planning information.