Florida’s Kratom Ban Means Increased Scrutiny Of Consumers And Smoke Shops

In the 1990s, you knew you were cool if you had a neon sign in the shape of a cannabis leaf casting a deep green glow from the window of your dorm room or duplex. These days, cannabis is legal in so many situations in the parts of Florida that matter the most to you that, instead of spending the last of your meager budget on décor that pays homage to your favorite heady herb, you can just go out and buy the herb itself, even if you are just as broke as you were in the 1990s. These days, the neon signs are the province of the smoke shops that, in your youth, loudly proclaimed that they only sold tobacco, even though everyone knew that this was false. The variety of marginally legal substances available in smoke shops today is astonishing, as the difference between “drug of abuse” and “nutritional wonder” is becoming largely a matter of perspective. Until recently, you could find 7-OH pills in smoke shops throughout Florida, but earlier this year, Florida became the first state to ban 7-OH. If you are being accused of illegal possession or distribution of 7-OH, contact a Tampa drug crime lawyer.

7-OH Is a Schedule I Controlled Substance in Florida

7-hydroxymitragynine, also known as 7-OH, is prized for its pain relief abilities. 7-OH pills used to be widely available as a nutritional supplement in smoke shops, or even in gas stations. Of all the drugs that have borne the nickname “gas station heroin,” 7-OH is perhaps the most deserving. Its regular users tend to take the drug for pain relief, claiming that it relieves pain as effectively as prescription opioids do; some of them are former opioid users, and they say that 7-OH helps them avoid relapsing on opioids.

Leave it to Florida to enact laws against anything in which Floridians find relief. In the summer of 2025, Florida declared 7-OH a Schedule I controlled substance, making it as illegal as heroin and more illegal than fentanyl and oxycodone. Law enforcement officers frequently inspect smoke shops and confiscate 7-OH pills when they find them.

At the federal level, 7-OH is in legal limbo. The DEA’s decision on scheduling 7-OH as a controlled substance is pending, but it cannot make progress until the DEA resumes operations after the federal government shutdown ends.

Are Kratom and 7-OH the Same Thing?

The ban on 7-OH is, in practice, a ban on kratom. 7-OH occurs naturally in the leaves of the kratom plant, although the concentrations of 7-OH in kratom are low enough that you tend not to feel the effects of 7-OH if you consume products made of whole kratom leaves. Despite this, nutritional supplement shops that use kratom as part of their brand strategy continue to operate.

Contact Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney Bryant Scriven

A criminal defense lawyer can help you get justice if you are facing criminal charges for possession of 7-OH.  Contact Scriven Law in Tampa, Florida to schedule a consultation.

Source:

cbsnews.com/miami/news/florida-inspectors-crack-down-on-banned-chemical-7-oh-in-smoke-shops/