By Andrew Rice
The Center Square

Found in gummies, candies and ice cream, a concentrated substance known as 7-OH has been classified as a Schedule 1 substance alongside heroin and LSD by Florida Attorney General James Utheimer in an emergency ruling.

The product, 7-hydroxymitragynine, is a naturally occurring substance in the kratom plant that has recently received increased scrutiny from government leadership. Kratom originates from Southeast Asia, has been used in herbal medicines, and is unregulated in America.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration moved to list the product as a Schedule I substance in July.

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary praised Utheimer’s actions and cited increased prevalence of the kratom byproduct as a “major concern for the FDA.”

“These concentrated 7-OH products have snuck into every community in America, and I’m glad to see Florida’s local leaders fighting back and educating Floridian parents, law enforcement professionals, teachers and community leaders about this threat to public health,” Makary said.

Makary described the FDA’s actions as preventative in a July press conference.

“The Trump administration is deeply committed to preventing another wave of the opioid epidemic,” Makary added.

Paula Savchenko, an attorney and consultant at Cannacore Group, opposed the moves to shelve the kratom byproduct. She said products containing 7-OH are used to treat pain, anxiety and opioid recovery.

“While we fully acknowledge the FDA’s and the attorney general’s concerns, we believe categorically scheduling it as Schedule I may impede scientific research and undermine harm reduction efforts that utilize kratom’s therapeutic potential,” Savchenko said.

She said products like kratom pose a threat to the larger pharmaceutical industry because they provide relief and are less addictive.

“This is a direct target from Big Pharma and to the kratom industry because kratom is taking up part of the market share from opioids and that’s a problem for big pharma,” Savchenko said.

The FDA’s classification will recommend the scheduling to the Drug Enforcement Administration, where it will issue a proposal to schedule the substance and allow for public comments. In 2016, the DEA shelved its plans to schedule kratom compounds after backlash from the public.