💊 New Jersey lawmakers push to ban kratom ingredient 7-OH with dire warnings.

💊 Studies link kratom to hundreds of deaths, but with a significant catch.

💊 Advocates argue banning it could backfire, pushing pain patients to illegal drugs.

There’s a battle brewing in Trenton over whether to ban an unregulated drug sold in gas stations that could lead to a new addiction crisis.

A heated state Senate hearing this month had witnesses pointing fingers, accusing each other of being paid off by special interests.

“It’s the equivalent of heroin that’s being sold legally in local stores around our communities. It’s evil,” said John Mopper, a recovering addict and behavioral health specialist in Somerset County.

The ban on kratom is moving swiftly through the state legislature. It would classify the active ingredient in kratom, 7-Hydroxymitragynine, as a Schedule 1 controlled substance. That’s the same realm of illegality as heroin and LSD.

This Sept. 27, 2017 file photo shows kratom capsules, which are now sold in convenience stores throughout New Jersey (AP Photo/Mary Esch, File)

This Sept. 27, 2017 file photo shows kratom capsules, which are now sold in convenience stores throughout New Jersey (AP Photo/Mary Esch, File)

What is 7-OH and why health officials are warning New Jersey residents

Trace amounts of 7-OH are found in the kratom leaf. But the Food & Drug Administration says most products contain a more concentrated synthetic version. According to the feds, 7-OH products should be avoided because they haven’t been proven safe or effective.

In New Jersey, these products are sold in gas stations, smoke shops, and convenience stores. They’re also available online and are often “deceptively packaged and disguised as items like fruit-flavored gummies or ice cream cones,” according to a recent New Jersey State Commission of Investigation report.

In Ocean County, health officials have told residents to avoid kratom completely because it is unchecked and unregulated. Without any oversight, heavy metals and bacteria can easily make their way into 7-OH products.

A bottle with Kratom liquid and bags of capsules with the herbal supplement Kratom insid. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

A bottle with Kratom liquid and bags of capsules with the herbal supplement Kratom insid. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Kratom deaths, overdose data, and rising poison reports

Out west in California, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said that kratom had been linked to six fatal overdoses. In many of these deaths, alcohol and other medications were involved — and that’s part of the danger. Kratom and its interactions with other substances have been relatively unresearched.

A new study published on Thursday found there were 233 kratom-associated deaths in the last 11 years. Around 79% of those deaths involved multiple substances, including alcohol, opioids, stimulants, and antidepressants.

The same study found that kratom-related exposure reports to poison centers nationwide have surged. In 2025, there were 3,434 reports, a 1,200% increase from a decade ago. Researchers chalked it up to the emergence of high-potency 7-OH products.

Those in favor of banning 7-OH products warn that they could lead to the next opioid crisis. One published study found that concentrated 7-OH was 13 times more potent than morphine.

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A supporter of the herbal supplement Kratom attends a Senate committee meeting at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Monday, March 2, 2020. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

A supporter of the herbal supplement Kratom attends a Senate committee meeting at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Monday, March 2, 2020. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Advocates push regulation over ban as New Jersey bill advances

However, there are many kratom advocates out there who say it should be regulated but not outright banned.

Michele Ross is a neuroscientist from Perth Amboy. Over 360,000 New Jerseyans use kratom to manage chronic pain with no issues, Ross said to state lawmakers. She warned that several states had banned kratom, and that some had seen opioid overdoses spike.

“When you need pain management, and there is nothing available, you’re going to get drugs from the illegal market,” Ross said.

Connecticut was the latest to ban 7-OH and kratom recently. Some cities, including San Diego and Denver have chosen to ban it while the rest of their states have not. However, Rhode Island recently passed a law to reverse its kratom ban and instead regulate it.

Jeff Warsh, an attorney for Holistic Alternative Recovery Trust, said to state lawmakers that 7-OH is “not an opioid at all.” Formed in 2023, HART claims that scientists have been paid off to make broad statements based on little research.

“1.5 billion doses of 7-OH have been administered with no adverse effect,” Warsh said.

The bill (S301) to ban kratom in New Jersey made it out of the Senate Health Committee earlier this month. It has been referred to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.

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