United Against Fentanyl Launches Kratom Watch to Keep Kratom Opioids Out of Stores

The national campaign warns parents about lab-made opioids sold as kratom at gas stations and lets anyone write Congress in under a minute

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, November 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- United Against Fentanyl, the national family-led organization working to end fentanyl poisoning and overdose, today launched Kratom Watch, a national campaign to warn parents about kratom opioids: lab-made opioids sold in gas stations, smoke shops and vape shops under the name kratom.

The products, often fruit-flavored gummies, tablets and drink shots, contain concentrated 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH. The FDA calls 7-OH "an opioid that can be more potent than morphine" and warns that these products "may be especially appealing to children and teenagers." The DEA says its abuse potential is similar to heroin, morphine and fentanyl.

"Big Kratom wants you to think of a helpful natural leaf," said Paul Martin, Founder and CEO of United Against Fentanyl. "What the public needs to know is what's actually on the counter: kratom opioids, made in a lab, flavored like candy and sold in the same stores as Skittles and Gatorade. A kratom opioid is still an opioid. Our families learned what fentanyl was after it reached their children. This time we are not waiting."

Heroin, fentanyl and kratom opioids act on the same opioid receptors in the brain. Regular use of any of them can lead to opioid use disorder (OUD), the medical condition at the center of the nation's overdose crisis. United Against Fentanyl's concern is that for many young people, a product bought legally at a store may be the first opioid they ever take, in a drug supply where fentanyl is everywhere. OUD is treatable. Help is available at FindTreatment.gov or the SAMHSA National Helpline, 1-800-662-4357, free and confidential, 24/7.

Kratom reports to U.S. poison centers rose from 258 in 2015 to 3,434 in 2025, according to the CDC. DEA toxicology testing has identified 7-OH in 85 overdose cases since 2019. When the Texas Attorney General tested products sold as kratom, as much as 96 percent of their alkaloid content was 7-OH, against a 2 percent legal limit.

"We learned with fentanyl that banning one compound at a time doesn't work. Chemists change a molecule, and the product is back on the shelf in weeks. The DEA is right to act on 7-OH. Now Congress should give it the tools to stay ahead of what comes next," said Richard Baum, former Acting Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and a member of the UAF board.

At KratomWatch.org, visitors enter their name and address to send a prewritten letter to their two U.S. senators and their member of the House urging them to cosponsor and strengthen Connor's End Gas Station Heroin Act (S. 5383 / H.R. 10272). The site also explains the warning signs, how to respond to an overdose and where to find treatment.

The DEA has announced it will temporarily place 7-OH and a related compound, mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, in Schedule I above a set concentration, with an order that can publish on or after Nov. 13. United Against Fentanyl supports the DEA's action and is calling on Congress and the states to act so that the next kratom opioid cannot simply take 7-OH's place on the shelf.

Kratom Watch does not target adults who use the kratom leaf, and it never targets people who use these products or struggle with addiction. It focuses on concentrated, lab-made opioids sold at a retail counter under a plant's name.

About United Against Fentanyl: United Against Fentanyl is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that interrupts the use of illicit fentanyl through innovative, bold, and effective initiatives. Its campaigns include Walk for Lives, the Fentanyl Families Network and Kratom Watch. Learn more at UnitedAgainstFentanyl.org and KratomWatch.org.

Jacob LIgnell
United Against Fentanyl
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