Gov. Mike DeWine ordered the Ohio Pharmacy Board to categorize kratom as an illegal drug in late August but then pumped the breaks shortly after.
DeWine said he still wants to see kratom, which can be found at corner stores and gas stations across the state and country, banned or heavily regulated. But that effort may need to come from the legislature, DeWine said.
“We’re working on that, kind of trying to work through what the facts are on that,” he said. “There will be something coming.”
The botanical herb from Asia has naturally occurring trace amounts of mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), which can have both stimulant and sedative effects. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in July it would move to schedule 7-OH.
DeWine put his order on pause after a call with U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who shares his concerns about kratom.
Preliminary data from the Ohio Department of Health documented more than 200 unintentional overdose deaths between 2019 and 2024 from synthetic kratom, which comes in everything from tablets to edibles to drinks.
Mac Haddow, American Kratom Association senior public policy fellow, told the Statehouse News Bureau in early August the vast majority of kratom on the market currently has been manufactured to be as potent as possible.
“Overregulation of those very ethical businesses should be avoided, but for the bad guys, let’s get them out of there, because they’re ruining the integrity of the business in the kratom industry,” Haddow said in an interview.
The association has led efforts to regulate kratom in 18 states, and he said Ohio is one of its biggest targets for similar restrictions, rather than an outright ban. Ohio lawmakers have considered bills further regulating both kratom and cannabinoid derivatives like delta-8 THC, both during this legislative session and sessions before it, but nothing has made it to DeWine’s desk.
Federal efforts to schedule kratom have failed thus far, and Haddow and his association defend natural kratom, arguing it can have energy and health benefits. The FDA has not greenlit consuming kratom or using it medically.
