Why Natural Kratom Vendors Are Speaking Out About 7-OH: Setting the Record Straight

A recent article making rounds in kratom communities paints a picture of natural kratom vendors as protectionist businesses trying to eliminate a "superior competitor" through regulatory manipulation. The narrative is compelling, if you ignore the science, the FDA's own position, and the very real threat that 7-OH confusion poses to consumers and the entire kratom industry.

Let's address this directly, because the stakes are too high for misinformation to go unchallenged.

The Article's Central Claim vs. Reality

The article claims that "as 7-OH products gained popularity among consumers for their consistency and predictable effects, legacy kratom manufacturers began losing ground" and that "rather than compete directly, industry leaders pursued a different approach — they turned to regulators."

If this were simply about market competition, natural kratom vendors would have no problem competing. We've competed with other vendors for decades. We could make extracts. We could concentrate products. The issue isn't competition — it's that 7-OH is fundamentally not kratom, yet it's being marketed as if it were the same thing.

The FDA Agrees: 7-OH Is Not Kratom

The article frames discussions with FDA officials as industry manipulation. But here's what the FDA itself has explicitly stated in their July 2025 announcement:

The FDA's own scientific assessment makes the distinction crystal clear. Natural kratom leaf contains less than 2% 7-OH as a percentage of total alkaloids. Concentrated 7-OH products can contain 90-98% pure 7-OH, often chemically converted from mitragynine through laboratory oxidation processes.

This isn't a "legacy vendor vs. new competitor" situation. This is the difference between a cup of coffee and a vial of pure caffeine — or perhaps more accurately, the difference between a coca leaf tea and a concentrated cocaine derivative.

For a deeper understanding of how kratom alkaloids work and why this distinction matters, see our guide to the science behind kratom alkaloids.

The Science the Article Conveniently Ignores

The article describes 7-OH products as offering "consistency and predictable effects" as if this were simply a premium product feature. Here's what the published science actually shows:

The Potency Difference Is Staggering

• 7-OH binds to mu-opioid receptors at 10-13 times the potency of morphine
• Studies show 7-OH induces respiratory depression at over 3 times the potency of morphine
• One researcher compared the difference to "light beer versus Everclear grain alcohol"

How Concentrated 7-OH Products Are Actually Made

Natural kratom leaf is not simply being "extracted" for these products. The process involves:

1. Extracting mitragynine from kratom
2. Chemically oxidizing mitragynine through a laboratory process
3. Concentrating the resulting 7-OH to unnaturally high levels

This is not "natural kratom evolution." This is creating a novel semi-synthetic opioid compound and marketing it under the kratom name.

Why "Competition" Isn't the Real Issue

Let's be direct: If 7-OH were simply a "better kratom product," natural kratom vendors could adapt. We could make extracts. We could concentrate products. We could compete on those terms.

But here's what we cannot do:

We Cannot Compete with Consumer Confusion

When a teenager buys a fruit-flavored 7-OH gummy at a gas station and ends up in the hospital, the headlines read "Kratom Hospitalization." When a parent Googles kratom after finding their child's 7-OH tablets, they find horror stories about a "dangerous plant." When legislators see these reports, they move to ban all kratom products.

Every 7-OH-related adverse event is attributed to kratom, even though they are fundamentally different substances.

We Cannot Compete with Regulatory Destruction

States that have recently banned or are considering banning kratom — Connecticut, Louisiana, Ohio — consistently cite concerns about "kratom deaths" and "kratom overdoses" that are driven by concentrated 7-OH products, not traditional botanical kratom.

If regulators cannot distinguish between natural kratom and 7-OH, and the public cannot distinguish between them, our entire industry will be destroyed by association with a product category we don't sell and never have.

For more on the regulatory landscape, see our coverage of the Louisiana kratom ban and the corruption behind it.

We Cannot Compete with Our Customers Getting Hurt

Many of our customers come to natural kratom specifically because they're seeking an alternative to pharmaceutical opioids. They trust us to sell them a natural botanical product.

When 7-OH products are marketed interchangeably with kratom:

• Customers may accidentally purchase 7-OH thinking it's a kratom product
• Customers who develop dependency on 7-OH may blame kratom
• Customers who have adverse reactions may never try natural kratom, which might have actually helped them

This is why we've published educational content like our 7-OH vs. Kratom comparison and our 7-OH warning page — not to eliminate competition, but to help consumers understand what they're actually buying.

Addressing the Article's Specific Claims

Claim: "The meeting was organized to target FDA enforcement officials, not scientists"

Response: The FDA enforcement division was the appropriate audience because 7-OH products are being illegally marketed as dietary supplements — which they are not. The FDA subsequently confirmed this concern by issuing warning letters to seven companies for exactly this reason in June 2025.

Claim: "Some scientists declined to attend, citing discomfort with discussing criminality"

Response: Scientists declining to participate in enforcement discussions doesn't make the underlying safety concerns invalid. The FDA's own scientific assessment — conducted by FDA scientists — reached the same conclusions about 7-OH's risks. The science stands on its own merits.

Claim: "The goal was to push the agency to remove 7-OH products from the U.S. market"

Response: This is... exactly what happened, and the FDA agreed. The FDA independently determined that concentrated 7-OH products pose serious public health risks and recommended Schedule I classification. If the concerns were manufactured purely for commercial purposes, why would the FDA — after conducting their own scientific review — reach the same conclusions?

Claim: "One laboratory and one researcher advised industry groups and produced the scientific literature"

Response: Dr. McCurdy and the University of Florida are among the world's leading kratom researchers. Their work is peer-reviewed and published in major scientific journals. The article implies impropriety but doesn't identify any actual scientific errors in the research. Being a leading expert who is consulted by multiple parties is not evidence of bias — it's evidence of expertise.

Claim: "Whether 7-OH ultimately warrants regulation is a legitimate question"

Response: On this we actually agree. But that question should be answered based on science, not by conflating 7-OH with natural kratom and pretending the two are interchangeable products.

The Bottom Line

The article presents a false choice: either you support unregulated 7-OH sales, or you're a protectionist legacy vendor trying to eliminate competition.

Here's the truth: You can support responsible kratom regulation, support consumer access to natural kratom products, AND support restrictions on concentrated synthetic opioid products being sold as "kratom" at gas stations.

The FDA figured this out. Commissioner Makary explicitly stated they're not targeting natural kratom — they're targeting the concentrated synthetic byproduct. The natural kratom industry's position is exactly the same as the FDA's position: these are different products with different risk profiles that deserve different regulatory treatment.

Key Points Summary

For those who want the quick version:

• 7-OH is not kratom — It's a concentrated semi-synthetic compound 10-13 times more potent than morphine at opioid receptors
• The FDA agrees with us — They explicitly stated they're NOT targeting natural kratom leaf, only concentrated 7-OH
• Natural kratom contains trace 7-OH — Under 2% of alkaloids vs. 90%+ in concentrated products
• Consumer confusion hurts everyone — When 7-OH hospitalizations are reported as "kratom," it threatens the entire industry
• We support smart regulation — Age limits, testing, and labeling for natural kratom; appropriate restrictions on synthetic opioids
• This isn't about competition — We can compete with other kratom vendors; we can't survive being confused with synthetic opioids

Learn More

For additional information on the topics covered in this article:

• 7-OH vs. Kratom: Understanding the Difference
• 7-OH Warning: It's Not Kratom
• The Science Behind Kratom Alkaloids
• Understanding Kratom Lab Testing
• Kratom Propaganda: Debunking the Myths

All FDA statements referenced in this article can be verified through the FDA's July 29, 2025 press release and their published report "7-Hydroxymitragynine (7-OH): An Assessment of the Scientific Data and Toxicological Concerns Around an Emerging Opioid Threat."