7-OH Can Look Like Candy: 3 Things Parents Should Know
Based on FDA, FDA Takes Steps to Restrict 7-OH Opioid Products Threatening American Consumers (July 29, 2025)
What 7-OH (7-hydroxymitragynine) is, how concentrated 7-OH products are sold, why the FDA calls it an opioid, where federal and South Carolina law stand, and how buprenorphine-based treatment can help with 7-OH dependence.
Looking for a Primary Care Provider?
Checkups, preventive care and ongoing care for chronic conditions in West Ashley, Charleston. New patients are often able to be scheduled within a week of requesting an appointment. Schedule an appointment today.
In this guide
It Can Look Like Candy
- Some come as fruit-flavored gummies
- Others come as ice cream cones
- FDA: may appeal to children and teens
No Kratom Sales Under 21 in SC
- South Carolina law since July 2025
- Stores can't display it within reach of under-21s
Know What to Do in an Emergency
- Very drowsy or breathing slowly? Call 911
- Give naloxone if you have it
- Questions? Poison Help: 1-800-222-1222
What the guideline says
- 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) occurs naturally in only trace amounts in the kratom plant; the FDA's concern is products with concentrated 7-OH, sold as tablets, gummies, drink mixes and shots.
- The FDA says there are no FDA-approved 7-OH drugs, 7-OH is not lawful in dietary supplements, and it cannot be lawfully added to conventional foods.
- In July 2025, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said 7-OH is an opioid that can be more potent than morphine; the FDA says 7-OH has potential for abuse because it binds to opioid receptors.
- On October 14, 2026, the DEA published a notice of intent to temporarily place 7-OH above a specified threshold in Schedule I; the notice says the order will be published on or after November 13, 2026.
- South Carolina's Kratom Consumer Protection Act (Act 35, signed May 12, 2025, effective July 11, 2025) bans sales to anyone under 21, bans fully synthetic 7-OH and requires labels to list 7-OH content. It sets no cap on how much 7-OH a product may contain.
- Doctors have reported using buprenorphine (Suboxone) to treat kratom dependence in published case reports and case series, and there are no formal treatment guidelines yet. If someone is very drowsy, hard to wake or breathing slowly, call 911 and give naloxone.
Source: FDA, FDA Takes Steps to Restrict 7-OH Opioid Products Threatening American Consumers (July 29, 2025)
Read the full article: What Is 7-OH? How It Is Sold, Why It Matters and Where to Get Help →
This guide is general health information and does not replace advice from your own provider.
Frequently Asked Questions
In July 2025, the FDA said some 7-OH products may be especially appealing to children and teenagers, such as fruit-flavored gummies and ice cream cones.
No. South Carolina's Kratom Consumer Protection Act makes it unlawful for a kratom retailer to sell kratom products to anyone under 21, or to display or store them in a way that would let someone under 21 access them.
7-OH acts on opioid receptors, and a case report cited by the DEA in October 2026 describes 7-OH breathing problems reversed with a standard opioid-reversal drug. If someone is very drowsy, hard to wake or breathing slowly, call 911 and give naloxone.