The FDA announced that it is urging the Drug Enforcement Agency to "classify 7-OH as a Schedule 1 substance, placing it on a list of drugs that include heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and ecstasy," said The Hill. This would make the drug harder to obtain at locations like gas stations and convenience stores.

Federal officials said a psychoactive ingredient in kratom had been refined and added to supplements that could quickly become addictive.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration took a step to add the opioid-like psychoactive compound 7-OH found in the kratom plant to the schedule of controlled substances. The FDA plans to add the compound to Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act,