The Trump administration is trying to restrict access to a substance you might find at your local smoke shop.
The FDA in late July announced plans to crack down on 7-OH. Commissioner Marty Makary described it as an opioid that can be more potent than morphine and the agency's pushing to get it classified as a Schedule 1 substance -- like ecstasy or heroin.
You may not have heard of 7-OH, but you’ve probably heard of kratom. It’s the substance that 7-OH comes from – and it’s controversial in its own right.
Some states have banned kratom. The federal government tried to classify it as a Schedule 1 substance in 2016 but opted not to after getting a wave of pushback.
This year Washington state regulators withdrew a proposal to designate kratom as a Schedule 1 substance, saying it didn’t meet the criteria. So for now, you can buy kratom products in the state.
We wanted to know more about both kratom and 7-OH, so we checked in with a research professor at the University of Washington for insight.
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