Justice Department places three kratom-derived opioids on Schedule I, promises limited enforcement

In a recent announcement, Attorney General Todd Blanche declared that the compounds mitragynine pseudoindoxyl (MGPI), MGM-15 and MGM-16 are now classified as Schedule I opioids, describing them as deliberately manufactured and highly potent. Blanche clarified that the enforcement focus will be on products intentionally containing these substances, and that incidental trace amounts in genuine botanical kratom will be treated with discretion, without creating a legal exemption.

The kratom market, which claims over 15 million users, is divided between advocates of pure leaf products and manufacturers of chemically refined variants that often include the newly scheduled alkaloids or 7-hydroxymitragynine. The 7-HOPE Alliance recently mobilized supporters to flood the FDA with comments opposing a schedule for 7-OH. Meanwhile, a Texas wrongful-death suit uncovered MGPI in a bag of kratom linked to the death of hotel clerk Dustin Hernandez, raising questions about the prevalence of the compound in supposedly natural products.

Industry representatives argue that MGPI may be a natural trace component, while some researchers have only detected it in liquid formulations. The controversy underscores ongoing tensions between regulators, lobbyists, and litigants over the safety and legality of kratom derivatives.