Kentucky Governor Takes Action To Protect Kentuckians, Moves To Block Access to Addictive Form of Kratom

7-OH to be added to state’s drug schedule: sale, distribution will be illegal

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced today that his administration is taking action to prevent the sale and distribution of a dangerous substance in Kentucky by moving to classify 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) as a Schedule I narcotic. This will make it illegal to sell, possess or distribute any isolated or concentrated forms of 7-OH in the state.

“We have marked three straight years of declines in overdose deaths in Kentucky, and that is progress we’re committed to building on as we work to protect more lives in the fight against addiction,” said Gov. Beshear. “Deadly and addictive drugs like 7-OH have no place in our communities, and this step will help us get these drugs off the streets and provide us more tools to keep Kentuckians safe.”

7-OH is a concentrated byproduct of the kratom plant, which is increasingly recognized as having the potential for abuse because of its ability to bind to opioid receptors.

“When kratom is altered to create synthetic opioids, it becomes a threat to the public’s health,” said Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Dr. Steven Stack. “It puts people at risk and undermines the strides Kentucky has made in reducing the scourge of addiction.”

While 7-OH is a chemical compound that occurs naturally in the kratom plant, this occurs only in very small amounts. Products such as shots, powders or capsules can be sold over the counter, containing concentrated, potentially dangerous amounts of the substance, which can also be potentially addictive.

The Cabinet for Health and Family Services is in the process of updating regulations to classify isolated and concentrated forms of 7-OH as Schedule I substances – the same category as heroin, LSD and fentanyl analogs.

Once final, this action will allow law enforcement and regulatory agencies to immediately begin removing these unsafe products from retail shelves statewide.

Today’s announcement follows the Governor’s emergency designation of bromazolam as a Schedule I controlled substance in August, which banned the drug from being sold in Kentucky and providing law enforcement the ability to make arrests for sales or possession.

Fight Against Addiction
In May of this year, Gov. Beshear announced that overdose deaths in the commonwealth decreased for the third year in a row, with a 30.2% decrease in 2024 compared with 2023.

Gov. Beshear has continued to fight the state’s drug epidemic since his time as attorney general, when he led the nation in the number of individual opioid lawsuits filed by an attorney general. Now, Gov. Beshear is working to make sure the hundreds of millions of dollars in settlement funds go to treatment and the communities impacted.

The state’s Treatment Access Program also allows those without health insurance to enter residential treatment, and the Recovery Ready certification helps communities support residents who are seeking help for drug or alcohol addiction. The Beshear-Coleman administration created a website to help people in recovery find housing, FindRecoveryHousingNowKY.org, and a website to support Kentuckians seeking second chances find a job, get an education or continue recovery, SecondChance.ky.gov. The site also connects business leaders with resources to help them hire second-chance talent.

Treatment Resources
If you or a loved one are struggling with addiction, the KY HELP Call Center can connect you to treatment by calling 833-8KY-HELP (833-859-4357).

Information about treatment programs all across the commonwealth is available at FindHelpNowKy.org. Information on how to obtain the life-saving drug naloxone, which is used to reverse an opioid overdose, can be found at that website as well as at FindNaloxoneNowKy.org and FindMentalHealthNowKy.org.

Visit the Kentucky State Police website to find one of KSP’s 16 posts where those suffering from addiction can be paired with a local officer who will assist with locating an appropriate treatment program. The Angel Initiative is completely voluntary, and individuals will not be arrested or charged with any violations if they agree to participate in treatment.