TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson announced that the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has removed 17,311 packages of isolated or concentrated 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) from stores in more than 20 counties. The action follows an emergency rule classifying 7-OH as a Schedule I controlled substance in Florida.
“Since the rule took effect, FDACS inspectors have worked to get these products off store shelves,” Simpson said in a press release. “More than 17,000 packages have been removed in 23 counties, and we will continue efforts to protect families.”
Attorney General James Uthmeier said, “The Trump administration raised concerns about 7-OH, and Commissioner Simpson is leading enforcement. We support efforts to keep this drug away from children.”
The rule makes it illegal to sell, possess or distribute 7-OH in concentrations above 400 parts per million on a dry weight basis. Schedule I substances include heroin, LSD and fentanyl analogs.
FDACS inspectors have issued stop sale orders and removed 7-OH products from gas stations, vape shops and convenience stores. These inspections are in addition to routine checks of food establishments statewide.
7-OH is a chemical found in the kratom plant. In its natural form, kratom contains low levels of 7-OH, but when isolated or concentrated, the compound’s potency increases. Products are often sold as extracts, powders, capsules or liquid and can lead to addiction or overdose.
As part of “Operation Safe Summer,” FDACS has also removed 197,303 hemp products across all 67 counties for violations of state packaging, labeling and marketing laws. Since July 1, 2023, the agency has pulled more than 1.3 million illegal hemp products from stores.
