A ban on synthetically modified versions of the Asian botanical herb kratom will take effect May 14, replacing a temporary ban set to expire in June. A panel of lawmakers approved the permanent ban on synthetic kratom, which is regulated as a dietary supplement and sold at specialty shops, convenience stores and gas stations.
The Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review approved naming synthetic kratom as a Schedule 1 controlled substance in Ohio. Among those who spoke for the ban was Susie and Roger Bullard of Tipp City, whose 27-year-old son Philip died in November 2024.
“His brain was hijacked from kratom," Susie Bullard told JCARR. "He was shackled and bound to a toxic substance that children, adults, youth can purchase at a gas station and vape shops.”
She noted that a letter from Gov. Mike DeWine to the Ohio Board of Pharmacy said there were at least 200 Ohioans who died from kratom between 2019 to 2024.
"That's my son in that number," Bullard said. "If it's so good and so safe, that number should be zero."
Roger Bullard added: “Due to kratom’s easy accessibility at thousands of gas stations, vape shops and convenience stores, and to the legality to sell, purchase and possess it makes it all the more easy for Ohioans to be misled by its addictive and deadly powers.”
Retailers and supporters of natural kratom have said it treats pain and increases focus and energy with few side effects. And they stress that synthetic versions such as 7-OH aren't the same thing. Some advocates spoke for natural kratom at a hearing last month on Senate Bill 299, which would ban synthetic kratom and sales of natural kratom to minors.
"Kratom is a botanical in the coffee family that has been safely used for centuries in Southeast Asia," Sheldon Bradshaw, an FDA regulatory attorney with the lobbying group Botanicals for Better Health and Wellness told the Senate General Government Committee. "Bad actors are exposing one of the 50 alkaloids in kratom to harsh, toxic agents and creating 7-OH. It's not kratom. It's not natural. It's not a plant. It's a synthetic drug."
A temporary ban on Ohio kratom sales was created by an executive order from DeWine in December and was set to expire in June. The Ohio Board of Pharmacy is still considering whether to ban natural kratom.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in July it would move to schedule 7-OH, which is being sold at corner stores and gas stations in various forms, from tablets to edibles to drinks. Federal efforts to schedule kratom have failed before, though the FDA has not greenlit consuming it or using it medically.
