Plain-Language Kratom Regulatory Information
Safe Shelves Initiative: Getting Illegal Synthetic Drugs and Adulterated Botanicals Off The Shelves
Know the difference. Stay compliant. Stay safe. A plain-language guide to legal natural kratom vs. banned synthetic products — built for retailers, regulators, and consumers navigating new DEA rules.
Why This Matters
Kratom and 7-OH products sit in a fast-moving regulatory environment—creating real risk for both consumers and retailers.
- The DEA has already placed three (3) synthetic substances related to 7-OH on Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA): Mitragynine Pseudoindoxyl (MPI or Pseudo), MGM-15, and MGM-16. The DEA has also announced its intent to classify 7-OH as a Schedule I controlled substance.
- Importantly, however, the DEA has stated that its actions related to 7-OH, Pseudo, MGM-15, and MGM-16 do not apply to the natural botanical kratom.
- Because it is a criminal offense to hold, possess, sell, distribute, or manufacture a drug on Schedule I of the CSA, it is critical for retailers and consumers to know whether a product is subject to the DEA's scheduling orders or whether it is a kratom product that can be lawfully sold.
The DEA's scheduling of Pseudo, MGM-15, and MGM-16 took effect on August 25, 2026. The DEA's scheduling of 7-OH may take effect as early as November 13, 2026. As a result, products containing Pseudo, MGM-15, and MGM-16 must be removed from stores and storage facilities right now, and products containing 7-OH must be removed from stores and storage facilities before the scheduling order takes effect.
The purpose of this site is two-fold:
- 1to help retailers avoid inadvertently violating the CSA and being exposed to significant criminal penalties,
- 2and — more importantly — to help protect consumers from synthetic products that the DEA intends to schedule and the FDA has described as “Dangerous, Addictive and Illegal.”
Shifting Regulations
Federal and state rules on synthetic compounds like 7-OH, Pseudo, MGM-15, and MGM-16 are changing quickly—and are not always in sync with each other. Importantly, however, once the DEA schedules a compound it is prohibited everywhere in the United States regardless of its prior status under state and local laws.
Consumer Risk
Not every product on the shelf is labeled accurately or tested consistently. Products may contain undeclared ingredients, including ingredients subject to the DEA's recent Notice of Intent to schedule.
Retailer Risk
What's compliant today may be subject to criminal penalties tomorrow—often with little warning in between.
SafeShelves exists to give retailers and regulators a resource to check status, verify lab data, and confidently comply with DEA's scheduling orders. The emergency scheduling of Pseudo, MGM-15, and MGM-16 has already taken effect. The manufacture, distribution, sale, and possession of these covered substances are currently subject to criminal, civil, and administrative provisions of the Controlled Substances Act. The emergency scheduling of 7-OH will take effect as early as November 13th and, once scheduled, 7-OH will be subject to the same criminal, civil, and administrative provisions of the CSA.
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