TALLAHASSEE — Attorney General James Uthmeier signed an emergency rule immediately placing highly concentrated 7-hydroxymitragynine and six related chemical compounds on Florida’s Schedule I controlled substances list, making possession and sale a felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.

“Today I signed an emergency rule because these dangerous concentrated 7-OH products present an imminent hazard to the public safety of Floridians-especially our children and teens,” said Attorney General Uthmeier. “By expanding the rule to include new 7-OH related compounds to Schedule I, we are removing these addictive poisons from store shelves, protecting families, and holding manufacturers and sellers accountable.”

The products — sold in gas stations, vape shops and online under brand names such as Hydroxy, 7Tabz, 777 Jackpot Alkaloids, Roxy 7-OH and 7OHMZ — contain concentrated versions of a compound that occurs naturally in kratom in trace amounts of 0.01-0.04%. The concentrated formulas act powerfully on opioid receptors, cause dose-dependent respiratory depression, rapid addiction and severe withdrawal. Florida medical examiners have linked at least 587 overdose deaths to the substances since 2013, with more than 25% of recent Poison Control cases requiring ICU care.

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson said the state has already removed over 23,000 illegal 7-OH packages from retailers. “Last year, Florida took decisive action to help defend Floridians from dangerous, highly addictive 7-OH products,” Simpson said. “We will use every tool available to protect consumers, safeguard our communities, and keep these addictive substances out of the hands of kids and families.”

The emergency rule sets a strict limit: no product may contain more than 1 milligram of the covered chemicals per gram of solids or pills, or per milliliter of liquids. Any product containing any amount of 7-OH or its related compounds must also contain at least 100 times more regular mitragynine by mass, a provision designed to prevent super-concentrated and chemically altered formulas. The seven chemicals covered include 7-hydroxymitragynine, mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, 7-acetoxymitragynine, 9-hydroxycorynantheidine, 10-hydroxycorynantheidine, MGM-15 and MGM-16.

State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo called the action a public health imperative. “7-OH poses a serious threat to public health,” Ladapo said. “These highly concentrated products act on opioid receptors and have been linked to addiction, overdose, and seizures.”

Medical professionals at Tampa General Hospital described the toll on emergency departments. “At Tampa General Hospital, we see firsthand the devastating consequences of dangerous substances like 7-OH,” said Melissa Golombek, executive vice president of the Florida Health Sciences Center and president of Tampa General Hospital. “Too often, patients who have purchased these products at a nearby convenience store, unaware of how addictive and lethal they can be, arrive in our emergency department after an overdose.”

Dr. Cory Howard, an emergency medicine physician and board-certified medical toxicologist at Tampa General Hospital and associate medical director of Florida Poison Control Tampa, said the crisis spans all demographics. “Exposure and overdose involving 7-OH mitragynine has been on the rise in recent years,” Howard said. “We are seeing this affect Floridians of all ages, from infants to the elderly, which speaks directly to how aggressively and irresponsibly this drug is marketed.”

Dr. Thomas Nappe, an addiction medicine specialist and associate professor of emergency medicine at USF Morsani College of Medicine, reinforced the urgency. “I have personally witnessed the harm caused by 7-OH mitragynine, a dangerous opioid-like substance that causes severe dependence and withdrawal, requiring intense support to foster recovery,” Nappe said. “Prevention is key.”

State Rep. Dean Black framed the action in stark terms. “By today’s actions, we make it clear that public safety comes first,” Black said. “Special interests do not matter in this discussion. People’s lives are the only special interest we should care about.”

The Trump administration has previously warned of these novel potent opioids and recommended DEA scheduling. Multiple other states have also taken action. The emergency rule took effect immediately, enabling felony-level arrests, prosecutions, product seizures and shutdowns of illegal manufacturers and sellers statewide.