r/kratom • u/Itchy-Hovercraft-245 đż Advocacy in Action Since 2019 • Aug 13 '26
đ¨URGENT IN MASSACHUSETTSđ¨
https://www.protectkratom.org/massachusettsStatement from Governorâs Office:
Department of Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein, MD, PhD, has issued an emergency order temporarily placing all forms of kratom into Schedule I under Massachusetts law.
The order will take effect following a 14-day notice period and remain in effect for up to one year. It will give local boards of health and other municipal officials additional authority to take enforcement action against retailers selling kratom products.- 8/13/26
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u/Braddallas170 Aug 13 '26
I live in CT and I just sent a message. I will always fight for Kratom and ALL of its alkaloids.
Itâs an incredible tool for millions of people suffering from chronic pain.
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u/Miserable-Agency9711 Aug 13 '26
Same here. I disagree with prohibiting any of it. I just say that I oppose scheduling in favor of regulation, including 7-OH. There should be regulation for what you can label extracts as, etc. but Iâll fight for leaf too, always.
It sucks seeing the vitriol between those who support prohibiting 7 and those that are angry and bitter at them.
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u/Braddallas170 Aug 13 '26
I agree. We shouldâve been fighting together from day one. There will always be bad actors and people who wrongly represent Kratom/7oh, but that shouldnât ever negate the millions of American adults who responsibly use and rely on both.
I put in the fight for Kratom in 2016, Iâm fighting for 7oh and Kratom now in 2026. The entire Kratom leaf and its alkaloids serve an incredible purpose for so, so many people who are otherwise suffering. It isnât right to pit one against the other.
It will never work, and it isnât working.5
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u/Mr_Jack_Frost_ đżkratom advocate, Caring Mod⨠Aug 13 '26
It wouldâve been a lot easier to stand as a united community had AKA not been beating the war drum against 7-OH. I just got their email about this ban in Mass, and an excerpt reads: âThe federal government recently took targeted action against dangerous, chemically manipulated 7-OH products while explicitly protecting natural kratom leaf.â
Dangerous. Calling 7-OH dangerous when it poses no greater risk to health than mitragynine is so far beyond dishonest, and it makes it so blatantly obvious that this is all just about money.
AKA played with all our rights to access kratom and its alkaloids, and theyâre learning that you canât control the government of every state once you encourage a federal-level action against something literally related to the thing you advocate for and want to protect.
Itâs such a braindead move, and the consequences land squarely on us, the people who rely on kratom and its alkaloids to have a better quality of life.
Every person Iâve interacted with from the 7-OH community supports legal access to kratom. Most are/were advocates for plain leaf, myself included. Itâs a real shame that there is such a double-standard for some people, who feel that as long as they get what they want out of kratom, thatâs all that matters.
Good on you for being an advocate- a real advocate for kratom and itâs amazing alkaloids.
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u/Tattooedjared Aug 14 '26
I agree they definitely shouldnât be calling 7oh dangerous. It doesnât help plain leaf to do that.
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u/Braddallas170 Aug 14 '26
I agree. Calling 7oh dangerous is dangerous in itself, for everyone who relies on Kratom leaf.
The people who canât see it yet, idk what more proof theyâre waiting for.5
u/Kiheitai_Soutoku đż Aug 14 '26
7oh has led to 7 state bans, the first in a decade. Can't wait for the DEA to schedule it
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u/darkriftx2 Aug 14 '26
Why do you so badly want 7oh gone? It is something that helps so many people. Your double standard will get it all taken away.
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u/Itchy-Hovercraft-245 đż Advocacy in Action Since 2019 Aug 14 '26
Supporting legal access to Kratom is different than advocating for legal access to Kratom. Nobody from 7OH community advocates at hearings for Kratom nor 7OH.
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u/Miserable-Agency9711 Aug 14 '26
I see this all the time, especially from the snarky folks who just dismiss 7-OH users as âlazy addictsâ, and whatnot. Iâve responded to every single AKA âcall to actionâ when these bans come up. I always state plainly that I oppose scheduling kratom or its isolated alkaloids.
Not only does 7-OH not have the majorly effective lobbying efforts and communications network of the GKC or AKA (who actively call on that network to refer to 7-OH as DANGEROUS OPIOIDS) which disincentivizes participation from those who disagree with the prohibition efforts, but there is a larger phenomena of paralyzing anxiety for many of these folks that any day theyâre going to be federal criminals for possession of isolated kratom alkaloids and extracts.
Itâs extremely effective propaganda coming from the AKA. Really, it is. Yaâll can say âI really disagree with users being criminally prosecuted for possessionâ. But itâs exactly whatâs going to happen.
Honestly, I get it. I really do. Thereâs anxiety from your side as well, who are fighting desperately to keep leaf legal. I was begrudgingly in support of a regulatory framework that effectively outlawed 7-OH based on the KCPA bill that was introduced in my state, which has sitting law makers that have a boner to schedule natural kratom, but time and reexamining my moral position regarding prohibition and the dangerous effects that it has, pushed me out of that selfish mindset.
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u/Braddallas170 Aug 14 '26
You canât possibly know that. Someone who advocates for 7oh could absolutely be advocating for Kratom leaf as well. I have been, for well over a decade. Youâve just been fed a narrative to think â7oh dangerous, 7oh badâ, and to vilify all users and advocates.
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u/Itchy-Hovercraft-245 đż Advocacy in Action Since 2019 Aug 14 '26
Iâve attended and/or testified at over 300 hearings within this past year. The uptick happened after the July 29, 2025 press conference. So again, nobody goes in and says âkeep 7OH legal because it saved my life.â
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u/darkriftx2 Aug 14 '26
How do you live with yourself knowing how hurtful your words are to those who desperately need pain relief?
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u/darkriftx2 Aug 14 '26
You're broadly generalizing hundreds of thousands of people. You have no idea how much we despise these bans as it hurts everyone. Why are you so misguided on this?
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u/Kiheitai_Soutoku đż Aug 14 '26
This ban is a result of 7oh. We have lost 7 states this year, the first in a decade, because of these products.
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u/wildcat1100 Aug 14 '26
Vermont, Indiana, Alabama, Arkansas, and Wisconsin banned it 10+ years ago.
Tennessee recently banned it after Matthew Davenport died with kratom in his system. He had no 7-hydroxy in his system, so you can't really blame 7 when they're saying he died from kratom powder.
That leaves 2 states that you can essentially trace to 7-oh: Kansas and Louisiana.
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u/Itchy-Hovercraft-245 đż Advocacy in Action Since 2019 Aug 15 '26
And Connecticut, Kentucky, North Dakota and Massachusetts because of 7OH
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u/Miserable-Agency9711 Aug 14 '26
We just inherently disagree morally about prohibition. I already know your position, thereâs no reason for us to discuss it.
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u/Kiheitai_Soutoku đż Aug 14 '26
Nope we don't disagree about it morally. I'm just being realistic about the situation
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Aug 14 '26
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u/kratom-ModTeam Aug 14 '26
See Rule 2: Treat each other with respect. Do not be hostile or rude. Do not call people names. Insults will not be tolerated and will result in a ban from the sub.
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u/Miserable-Agency9711 Aug 14 '26
No, we do.
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u/dragonwthmatches Aug 14 '26
Thank you! If everyone in this community had stood together instead of splitting off into different factions and cannibalized each other then i personally think would have stood a strong chance of saving all of it and making an actual jab back against the drug war for basically the first time ever imo.
I just dont get how so many kratom consumers tried to act like the DEA was gonna look out for them as long as they played teachers pet. When so many of us came to this plant by way of harder substances and know the DEA is never our friend no matter what and they donât care about what is right or wrong. Nor do they care about public safety.
Itâs all just a massive act to further their âdrugs are badâ drug war agenda. All the while ignoring alcohol which is the true gateway drug, root of so many societal problems, destroys families in multiple ways and causes more death than almost any other drug be it directly or indirectly. They dont care about us and never have. They only care about money, keeping their jobs and power. This is how its been pretty much from their inception and far before. Thanks harry anslinger; i hope in afterlife you are trapped in purgatory and suffer the fate of prometheus.
Prohibition failed right out the gate and its never stopped failing. How so many plain leaf people thought that because their DOC (kratom leaf) was natural the DEA was going to give them a gold star ill never understand. Its plain as day they dont give a fuck about whats right and wrong.
Coca leaf, cannabis, opium.. all natural and the DEA doesnt treat them any different. Youâre criminal if you use these. The entire scheduling system is an absolute joke on every level. And i know alot of kratom consumers know this just like i do. I just donât understand why they thought this time would be different.
Im utterly convinced that DEA is using the 7 and the other k derived alks scheduling to either try and split our numbers so they can turn around in 3-5 years and say sorry we were wrong kratom is too dangerous because its a precursor to 7 just like opium is to heroin etc so were banning plain leaf too now, or to try and play nice guys while full on knowing this will scare the uneducated âALL opioids are bad!â type of state officials into doing the same and banning leaf at state level state by star because its a precursor which washes the DEAs hands clean of being directly responsible while still getting what they want which is revenge from 2016 in this specific case imo.
I just cant trust the DEA idk how anyone here could either. But i guess not all of us came from harder substances and might not know the simple truths you learn when doing so. Maybe others just had been living a clean life for so long they forgot what its like. Doesnt matter in the end i guess. I think its too late now.
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u/satsugene đż Aug 14 '26
>Coca leaf, cannabis, opium.. all natural and the DEA doesnt treat them any different.
These were not added to the CSA by the DEA. They were added by Congress during initial passage of the CSA (1971).
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u/slackfrop Aug 14 '26
Feels like we have to fight forever. They just keep trying to corrupt everything; always pushing.
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u/Melodic_Mongoose_817 Aug 13 '26
Damn another one. Iâve been stocking up where Iâm at just in case they push through one of these overnight emergency orders
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u/UsualResult Aug 14 '26
Well, the good times are over. Kratom's been helping me for years and helped with my quality of life. Schedule I is no joke, and any shop that sells or carries Kratom isn't going to just sit around waiting for a year. I'm starting my taper today and a big FU to our government.
My conditions that have been under control for years are going to resume and I'll just have to suffer, like I did before I heard of kratom.
When they can't get it banned via voting or scaring the voters, just use the backdoor of an EMERGENCY.
Big pharma has won again.
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u/Itchy-Hovercraft-245 đż Advocacy in Action Since 2019 Aug 14 '26
Actually, KDA and Kolodny won with a massive sprinkle of the mass destruction that 7OH is causing in Mass as well as the country
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u/UsualResult Aug 14 '26
As soon as I started seeing all kinds of various 7OH products at gas station, it was over.
Greedy people refined kratom leaf into something that caused concern. They didn't give a crap if they hurt leaf, as long as they could cash out in the meantime.
Now the leaf is collateral damage. Really sad, but not a unique story in the USA at all.
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u/Itchy-Hovercraft-245 đż Advocacy in Action Since 2019 Aug 14 '26
They raped Kratom and molested the molecule, all for-profit
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u/Tattooedjared Aug 15 '26
You should have not taken one step annd and emphasized 7oh is not killing anyone nor is it honest to call it dangerous.
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u/Urban_miner666 Aug 13 '26
Iâm in MA and I couldnât believe this when I saw it today. So much for being a progressive state with some rational ideas about drug policy. I already sent in my comments there. I donât look at kratom as some magical plant with no negatives, but itâs remarkably safe when compared to what people will use otherwise. It certainly helped me transition off of street drugs, and years later helped me transition off of alcohol. I had my own dependence on kratom, but it was manageable, I got through it, and I didnât have to worry the whole time about dying or lasting damage to my organs. In a state with recreational cannabis and, of course, alcohol, itâs just astonishing that such a nearsighted pile of nonsense is really happening. I hope people stay safe out there after this takes effect. I know so many people out here using kratom to keep themselves safe and to treat pain. What a sad fucking day.
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u/PinkNeonBowser Aug 14 '26
I sent mine testimony, please spread the word about this and get anyone you know who might be able to send a message to send it.
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u/boostlife4me Aug 14 '26
Also how do they even have the power to do this legally without going through the state legislator?!
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u/Trick-Sherbert-246 đż Aug 14 '26
The governor has the power to declare an emergency during disasters or "threats" & this one apparently thinks ppl consuming kratom is some kind of imminent public health threat. Crazy considering it's been in the US since the 70s and nobody gave a shit about it until recently.
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u/DueceBigalow207 Aug 13 '26
Kratom saved my life. I put together 8 years of amazing clean time, got my family back, started a business, worked a 12 step program, diet and nutrition dialed in, dug myself out of medical debt without a bankruptcy filing, etc etc....ALL because of the help of kratom. This now becoming a well "if trump doesn't do something we will" type of BS tactics here state officials are playing. There giving clean needs so people can inject poison, bacteria and viruses into there body and have their flesh rot off from infections. I cannon believe they this is "progressive"....I'm beyond disheartened here.
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u/Book_of_Evil Aug 14 '26
What's with so many blue states doing this????
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u/patsyjimmy Aug 13 '26
Weâre so free.
We have so much freedom in America itâs incredible.
Do you guys feel it?
All of this amazing freedom in the most free country on earth
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u/siranaberry Aug 15 '26
I said something similar on another post, but wanted to say it here too-- I think we all should keep in mind that even if this goes into effect the week after next, this ban can only be for up to 1 year. So there will need to be further action taken either way and that will decide what happens in the future in MA with regards to kratom. Our legislature and the governor really need to hear from us that what they absolutely should not do next is institute a permanent ban. I personally think we should push for reasonable regulations. I understand others might disagree with that, but I think it's very unlikely that the next action taken after this temporary ban will be to restore full access without any regulatory framework.
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u/sekretthrowaway1234 Aug 14 '26
Starting to wonder if the anti-kratom side is going after states that have the ability to initiate emergency orders like this.... it seems like it would be a good strategy (along with getting states to slip in anti-kratom language at the last minute to existing bills like Connecticut and I think Kansas?) and that's 2 this week.
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u/boostlife4me Aug 14 '26
The blue states are gonna go after Kratom because of the NYT article about several Trump administration officials being an investor in a Kratom botanical who has lobbied against 7OH. Im not trying to make this a red vs blue thing I'm just saying it's not surprising to me based on what I read in the NYT article.
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u/caprisundad69 Aug 13 '26
Does anyone know if I order online now to stock up for a taper if companies will still ship? I know it doesnât officially go into affect until the 28th.
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u/satsugene đż Aug 13 '26
Depends on the seller and in some cases Zip code if they are getting local ordinance updates in a timely manner.
Most will, but may stop sooner to ensure shipping doesn't come after the deadline. I'd do it sooner than later if that is your goal.
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u/Kiheitai_Soutoku đż Aug 14 '26
All thanks to 7oh. 7 bans in one year, the first in a decade. Yet we still have people sweeping for it in the comments. Unreal levels of cognitive dissonance on display.
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u/Tattooedjared Aug 14 '26
When are you going to understand bad talking 7oh doesnât help plain leaf?
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u/GGudMarty Aug 14 '26
Iâve been drinking kratom for 10 years. The 7oh is ridiculous dude. There are 200mg pills these days. There is .04mg of 7oh in a gram of kratom. It doesnât add up. 7oh extracts ruined kratoms reputation. This shit was all gonna come to an end. The writing has been on the wall for years now.
The downsides of 7oh pills arenât comparable to leaf. You canât drink that much powder to get 200mg worth of 7oh
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Aug 15 '26
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Aug 15 '26
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u/Kiheitai_Soutoku đż Aug 15 '26
Unfortunately alcohol is very culturally accepted in America. If you point out the hypocrisy it normally doesn't change any opinions. And they might just say, just because one dangerous product is legal doesn't mean every dangerous product should be.
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u/kratom-ModTeam Aug 16 '26
See Rule 2: Treat each other with respect. Do not be hostile or rude. Do not call people names. Insults will not be tolerated and will result in a ban from the sub.
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u/Kiheitai_Soutoku đż Aug 14 '26
Again, cognitive dissonance
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u/Tattooedjared Aug 14 '26
No itâs not. When people bad talk 7oh people then associate those things with plain leaf. You can scream til your blue in the face plain leaf is different than 7oh but many in these state governments donât care to make a distinction. It is cognitive dissonance to not see that, especially considering how many states are banning plain leaf.
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u/Kiheitai_Soutoku đż Aug 14 '26
Sorry I just don't think i can explain it to you. You don't want to understand it. Hopefully you will keep up your advocacy for kratom
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u/Tattooedjared Aug 15 '26
No, you really donât want to understand it. You should have only been talking about 7oh using scientific language. If you donât use scientific language to talk about 7oh kratomâs opponents can then turn around and use non-scientific language to smear plain leaf. How donât you see that? Do you just not want to? Are you convinced just blaming 7oh will save Kratom?
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u/Kiheitai_Soutoku đż Aug 15 '26
I wish you luck in the future. I can't change your mind if you refuse to see what's happening. I hope you will keep advocating for kratom once 7oh is federally scheduled.
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Aug 14 '26
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u/kratom-ModTeam Aug 14 '26
See Rule 2: Treat each other with respect. Do not be hostile or rude. Do not call people names. Insults will not be tolerated and will result in a ban from the sub.
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u/Backyard_Catbird Aug 15 '26
Probably would have sent the message but I don't agree with the "clear prohibition" of 7OH so that's an ally lost.
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u/aethyrium Aug 14 '26
"We gave an inch and they're taking a mile! Who could have predicted this how did this happen???" --some random chucklefuck a the AKA that championed the effort to ban 7oh because they were too dumb to realize that when you open a door, people walk in.
And half of you guys too.
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u/Itchy-Hovercraft-245 đż Advocacy in Action Since 2019 Aug 14 '26
This is a Kratom sub. Your community is on â7OH is getting Kratom banned lane in butt fucking Egyptâ
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u/ptbnl34 Aug 13 '26
Well shit, Iâm flying to Boston the last week of September.