Overview

• Gov. Mike DeWine asked the Ohio Board of Pharmacy to place all natural and synthetic kratom compounds on Schedule I, including mitragynine, 7‑hydroxymitragynine and mitragynine pseudoindoxyl.
• If approved, Ohio would become the first state to comprehensively outlaw kratom, and retailers would be required to remove products from shelves.
• Ohio’s health department reports poison‑control exposures rising from 32 in 2020 to a pace that could reach 115 this year, and its director voiced support for swift action.
• DeWine cited preliminary state data attributing more than 200 unintentional overdose deaths from 2019 to 2024 to kratom, and the FDA has documented neonatal opioid withdrawal in infants exposed in utero.
• The FDA recently recommended scheduling 7‑hydroxymitragynine, while kratom products remain widely available in Ohio, including an estimated 130 outlets in Cleveland alone, up from 29 two years ago.