Grassley calls on Trump administration to ban kratom ‘NOW’

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Friday called on the Trump administration to finalize its proposed rule limiting the sale of kratom, a plant with opioid-like properties that can be bought over the counter.

“All Kratom is deadly it should NOT be sold at gas stations/vape stores/ANYWHERE Admin needs 2 put out final 7OH rule NOW Kratom is killing our kids BEWARE of special interest snake oil,” Grassley said on the social media platform X .

Grassley was referring to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) proposed rule published in July that would temporarily schedule any kratom products as Schedule 1 substances if they contain more than 0.05 percent dry weight of 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, the opioid-like chemical found in kratom.

While currently not scheduled at the federal level, 11 states have banned it. Kratom is still legal for purchase in Iowa.

The DEA said in July that 7-OH “presents severe risks to public health, including tolerance, dependence and addiction.”

Kratom, or Mitragyna speciosa, originates from Southeast Asia. The plant is not currently scheduled under the Controlled Substances Act.

The plant is anecdotally touted as being helpful for addicts weaning themselves off opioids, but addiction organizations like American Addiction Centers do not endorse it because of the risk of dependence, a lack of regulation and potential drug interactions.

Overdoses and deaths connected to kratom are rare, though the substance was thrown back in the news last month after two University of Mississippi students were found dead near packages of kratom. It is currently unclear whether kratom was linked to their deaths, though two individuals have been charged for selling kratom in connection to the deaths.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in March published a report finding that between 2015 and 2025, kratom-related exposure reports rose by 1,200 percent.