August 31, 2026
Doug Hoke/USA Today via Reuters Connect
District attorneys from multiple collar counties have asked Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogan to issue an emergency order scheduling 7-OH and related compounds. The substance is derived from kratom.
The district attorneys for Bucks and Chester counties have asked the state to declare an emergency ban on kratom products, joining a national movement to schedule the compounds as controlled substances.
Their request specifically applies to 7-hydroxymitragynine, known as 7-OH, and its related derivatives. The alkaloid occurs naturally in the leaves of the Southeast Asian tree kratom and is commonly concentrated or synthesized into over-the-counter gummy or vape products. Though it is largely unregulated, it's sometimes called "gas station heroin" for its opioid-like effects.
In letters to Pennsylvania's Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen, the district attorneys asked her to use emergency powers to declare 7-OH and other kratom products Schedule I drugs under state law.
Bucks County's top prosecutor Joe Khan urged Bogen to follow the example of states that have already taken similar action. Florida and North Dakota classified kratom products as Schedule I controlled substances earlier this summer. Massachusetts's emergency order to do the same went into effect Friday.
"The threat to our youth is real: kids in Bucks County can – and do – easily access kratom products, sometimes sold in candy bars, vapes, and gummies, without even being asked to show ID," Khan wrote in his letter. "With school back in session and smoke shops open for business selling 7-OH and kratom products to our kids, there is no time for delay."
In his message, Chester County District Attorney Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe said: "We can’t allow a loophole in the law to leave our residents vulnerable. 7-OH is a dangerous substance that is being marketed and sold without the safeguards that protect Pennsylvanians. It is time for that to stop."
Berks County District Attorney John Adams also requested an emergency order from Bogen late last week.
Philadelphia lawmakers have passed legislation to regulate the sale of kratom products. One bill classifies kratom as an intoxicating substance, which only specially permitted businesses can sell. The other penalizes the landlords of shops that sell kratom products without a permit. Both bills are currently at Mayor Cherelle Parker's desk for consideration.
The Drug Enforcement Administration recently announced temporary scheduling for three 7-OH-related compounds, though not the alkaloid itself. The order applies to MGM-15, MGM-16 and mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, also known as MGPI.
It's unclear what action the DEA, which categorizes substances by their potential for abuse, will take with 7-OH. The agency had previously filed intent to place it on Schedule I, a tier reserved for drugs like heroin with high potency and no accepted medical use. The Food and Drug Administration also recommended this action to the DEA last month.
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