DEA Scheduling Notice for Kratom Compound Omits Exemption for Natural Trace Amounts

A July 1 federal notice of intent to temporarily place mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, a compound related to kratom, into Schedule I does not exempt the trace amounts that can form naturally as kratom leaf is stored and dried, according to a report from Kratom Science. That differs from a companion Drug Enforcement Administration notice covering 7-hydroxymitragynine, which the agency says will not apply to botanical kratom below a specified threshold.

The American Kratom Association has asked regulators to address the gap before the rule takes effect.