Federal Policy
Grassley Urges Trump Administration to Finalize Kratom Rule
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) publicly pressed the Trump administration to finalize a proposed rule restricting sale of 7-hydroxymitragynine (7OH), a concentrated kratom compound, calling the substance deadly and demanding it be pulled from gas stations, vape shops, and other retail outlets. The statement does not specify a new regulatory action by the administration, but amplifies pressure on FDA/DEA to move from proposed to final rule status. No effective date is given, as the underlying rule remains unfinalized. The push concerns a substance regulated outside typical Medicaid pharmacy channels, though it intersects with broader opioid-use and behavioral health policy concerns.
Why it mattersState Medicaid behavioral health and substance-use programs should monitor whether a finalized federal ban reshapes access, poison-control burden, and treatment referral patterns tied to unregulated opioid-like substances.