DeWine asks state pharmacy board to make kratom products illegal

Gov. Mike DeWine on Monday called on the Ohio Board of Pharmacy to designate all natural and synthetic kratom compounds as illegal drugs. A plant native to Southeast Asia, kratom is not approved by the FDA for consumption or medical use despite being marketed "for its purported ability to treat chronic pain, opioid dependence, opioid withdrawal, anxiety, depression and other disorders," DeWine said in a news release. The change would make Ohio would be the first state in the country to list all current and future natural and synthetic kratom compounds as Schedule I drugs. All establishments selling kratom products in Ohio would be required to remove the items from their shelves. Kratom products are sold online and in stores in powders, pills, gummies and drink products. DeWine's office said clandestine chemists have modified its natural chemical compounds "into potent, synthetic chemicals that produce opioid-like effects and are highly addictive." These synthetic products, "often sold in packaging designed to attract youth," have been found to cause psychosis, seizures, insomnia, hallucinations and death and "are essentially legal, over-the-counter opiates that anyone — including kids — can buy with just a few bucks," DeWine said in the news release. The Ohio Department of Health found kratom was the cause of death in more than 200 unintentional fatal overdoses in Ohio from 2019 to 2024, DeWine said. If used by pregnant mothers, it can lead to opioid withdrawal syndrome in newborn children. Poison control centers nationwide received 1,690 reports of exposure cases involving kratom during the first seven months of 2025. That surpassed the total number of cases forall of 2024, DeWine said.