Is Kratom Legal in Missouri? (2026 Law and 7-OH Bills)

Kratom is not listed by name as a controlled substance in Missouri. The state's Schedule I list in Mo. Rev. Stat. 195.017 and the health department's schedule rule, 19 CSR 30-1.002, contain no entry for kratom, mitragynine or 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), and no Missouri statute sets a kratom age limit or sales rules; the 2026 bills to ban 7-OH or regulate kratom sales were not enacted. Three semi-synthetic kratom-related compounds (mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15 and MGM-16) have been in Missouri's Schedule I since September 25, 2026 under a health department emergency rule that expires March 23, 2027. For other states, see our guide to kratom laws by state.

Information last verified on 2026-10-11. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Jurisdiction scope: This article covers Missouri state law on kratom: the controlled-substance schedules in Mo. Rev. Stat. 195.017, the Department of Health and Senior Services schedule rule (19 CSR 30-1.002) and its September 2026 emergency amendment, the federal-adoption duty in Mo. Rev. Stat. 195.015.4, the possession offense that applies to scheduled compounds (Mo. Rev. Stat. 579.015), the intoxicated-driving definitions in chapter 577, the 2026 kratom and 7-OH bills, and the Attorney General's 2026 settlements, with one paragraph on federal law. It does not cover city or county ordinances beyond noting that some cities regulate kratom sales, employer or school policies, military rules or other states' laws.

Is kratom legal in Missouri?

Missouri does not schedule kratom. Section 195.017 lists the state's controlled substances, and its Schedule I contains no entry for kratom, the plant Mitragyna speciosa, mitragynine or 7-OH. The section was last amended in 2020 (H.B. 1896).

The statute gives the Department of Health and Senior Services the job of placing substances in the schedules. Section 195.017.1 provides:

"The department of health and senior services shall place a substance in Schedule I if it finds that the substance: (1) Has high potential for abuse; and (2) Has no accepted medical use in treatment in the United States or lacks accepted safety for use in treatment under medical supervision."

The department publishes the operative schedules as a rule, 19 CSR 30-1.002, and section 195.017.19 requires it to "revise and republish the schedules annually." The permanent version of that rule took effect on April 30, 2026, after a yearly cycle: the department filed an emergency amendment on October 15, 2025, which took effect on October 29, 2025 and expired on April 26, 2026, and a permanent amendment filed the same day took effect on April 30, 2026. On September 11, 2026 the department filed a new emergency amendment, effective September 25, 2026 and set to expire March 23, 2027, that adds mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15 (dihydro-7-hydroxymitragynine) and MGM-16 to the temporary listing in Missouri's Schedule I (19 CSR 30-1.002(1)(A)7.). The emergency amendment does not list kratom leaf, mitragynine or 7-OH. The October 15, 2026 issue of the Missouri Register (Vol. 51, No. 20) published the emergency amendment and a proposed amendment covering the same material, with comments accepted for 30 days after publication; like the emergency amendment, the proposed amendment does not list kratom leaf, mitragynine or 7-OH.

Missouri also has no statute that regulates kratom as a consumer product. There is no state age limit, labeling requirement, vendor registration or 7-OH cap in force. Senate Bill 927 (2026) would have added new kratom sections to chapter 196; it was not enacted.

Some Missouri cities regulate kratom sales by ordinance. Kansas City, for example, requires businesses that sell kratom products in the city to obtain a Kratom Retail License, with age verification for customers 21 and older. State law still applies alongside any city rule.

The Department of Health and Senior Services issued a statewide health advisory on 7-OH on November 3, 2025, in which it "urges Missourians to avoid products containing 7-OH until further safety data is available." An advisory is not a rule or a ban.

What Missouri tried in 2026 (not enacted)

Lawmakers filed bills in the 2026 regular session that took two different approaches: scheduling 7-OH as a controlled substance, or setting rules for kratom sales. None became law, and section 195.017 carries no 2026 amendment.

Bills to schedule 7-OH

• Senate Bill 1605 (Sen. Henderson), as introduced, would have added a new item to the Schedule I list in section 195.017: "7-Hydroxymitragynine ... concentrated at a level above four hundred parts per million on a dry-weight basis." It targeted concentrated 7-OH, not the kratom leaf. A Senate substitute offered on March 25, 2026 would have raised the threshold to above 1,000 parts per million and added kratom sales rules, including a ban on sales to persons under 21; it was not adopted, and the bill remained on the Senate informal calendar when the session ended.
• House Bill 1614 (Rep. Allen) would have added certain 7-OH products to Schedule I. Its last action was "Action Postponed (H)" in executive session on March 11, 2026.

Bills to regulate kratom sales

• Senate Bill 927 (Sen. Nurrenbern) would have added two new sections on kratom to chapter 196. The Senate Judiciary committee voted do pass on a committee substitute on March 4, 2026 that would have barred selling kratom products to anyone under 21 or containing 7-OH "concentrated at a level above eight hundred parts per million on a dry-weight basis," required product labels and made a sale to a person under 21 an infraction. The bill went no further.
• House Bills 2652, 2700, 2850, 2894 and 3067, including House Bill 2700, the proposed "Missouri Kratom Consumer Protection Act," were last referred to the House Emerging Issues committee on May 15, 2026.
• House Bills 3147 and 3173, including a bill on the possession and sale of certain mitragynine-derived products, last show "Action Postponed (H)" on March 11, 2026.

None of the House bills passed the House.

The Attorney General's 2026 settlements

Missouri has no statute or rule on 7-OH itself; the state's action on 7-OH has come through the Attorney General's consumer-protection settlements rather than a ban. In a release dated June 10, 2026, Attorney General Hanaway's office announced that one Missouri distributor had agreed to suspend all in-state sales of 7-OH and other kratom alkaloids, effective immediately, following an earlier settlement, announced June 4, 2026, under which a second company agreed to suspend all in-state sales of kratom and its alkaloids. The June 10 release describes an agreed $5 million penalty that can be invoked if the agreement is breached.

The release also says that no court found any defendant liable and that neither agreement is an admission of liability. An August 6, 2026 release announced a further agreement, filed as an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance in the Circuit Court of Cole County, and described it as the latest in a series of agreements with distributors and retailers. The office stated that it "will continue to enforce Missouri consumer protection laws that forbid the sale of 7-OH, MGM-15, MGM-16, and pseudoindoxyl." That is the Attorney General's enforcement position under consumer-protection law; it is not a statute or a schedule entry, and the agreements bind only the parties.

The settlements do not change the schedules in section 195.017 or create a rule that applies to other sellers or to buyers.

How federal scheduling reaches Missouri

Missouri ties its schedules to federal action by statute. Section 195.015.4 provides:

"If any substance is designated, rescheduled, or deleted as a controlled substance under federal law and notice thereof is given to the department of health and senior services, the department of health and senior services shall similarly control the substance under this chapter and shall submit emergency rules to the secretary of state under section 536.025 within thirty days of publication in the federal register of a final order designating a substance as a controlled substance or rescheduling or deleting a substance, unless within that thirty-day period, the department of health and senior services objects to inclusion, rescheduling, or deletion."

The duty runs through a department emergency rule and is keyed to a "final order." The DEA action now in force for kratom-related compounds is a temporary scheduling order, and the statute's text does not say whether a temporary order triggers the 30-day duty. The department has acted on the August 2026 DEA temporary order: its emergency amendment, whose emergency statement cites section 195.015.4, lists mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15 and MGM-16 in Missouri's Schedule I from September 25, 2026.

What penalties apply to kratom in Missouri?

Kratom leaf, mitragynine and 7-OH are not listed by name on Missouri's schedules, so no state drug penalty attaches to them by name. Missouri also treats "any analogue or homologue of a schedule I controlled substance" as a Schedule I substance (Mo. Rev. Stat. 195.022), and since September 25, 2026 mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15 and MGM-16 are in Missouri Schedule I; a kratom-derived product, such as a concentrated 7-OH product, could be treated as an analogue if a court found its structure and effect substantially similar to one of them (Mo. Rev. Stat. 195.010 defines a controlled substance analogue), or as an "opiate" under Schedule II if a court found it had addiction-forming liability similar to morphine. If a product were treated that way, possession would fall under the class D felony in section 579.015.2. No kratom-specific penalty statute is in force, and the Attorney General's agreements are civil, not criminal.

Mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15 and MGM-16 are different: since September 25, 2026 they are Schedule I substances in Missouri by emergency rule. Mo. Rev. Stat. 579.015.2 provides that "the offense of possession of any controlled substance except thirty-five grams or less of marijuana or any synthetic cannabinoid is a class D felony," which carries "a term of years not to exceed seven years" under section 558.011.1(4).

The same three compounds are also federally controlled. The DEA temporary order effective August 26, 2026 places mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15 and MGM-16 in federal Schedule I, and it applies the Schedule I controls and sanctions to anyone who handles them, including anyone who possesses them. That order applies in Missouri alongside the state listing.

Federal kratom law

Kratom leaf, mitragynine and 7-OH are not listed in the federal schedules in the October 6, 2026 version of 21 CFR 1308. A DEA temporary order placed mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15 and MGM-16 in federal Schedule I effective August 26, 2026. The DEA filed a new notice of intent (FR Doc. 2026-20943, filed for public inspection on October 9, 2026 and scheduled for publication on October 14, 2026) to temporarily place 7-OH and mitragynine pseudoindoxyl in Schedule I when either one, or both combined, is above a threshold: more than 1 mg per gram in solid forms or more than 1 mg per milliliter in liquids, or a ratio of mitragynine to those compounds of less than 100. That notice states that the DEA's July 2026 notice of intent to temporarily schedule 7-OH above a threshold is being withdrawn in a separate document. A second DEA notice of intent filed the same day (FR Doc. 2026-20942) proposes a new temporary order that would keep MGM-15 and MGM-16 in Schedule I "without change," to distinguish them from mitragynine pseudoindoxyl. Neither notice is an order, and the DEA says neither new temporary order will be issued before 30 days after publication, about November 13, 2026. The August 26, 2026 order stays in effect until it expires or is replaced by the new temporary orders, whichever comes first. The FDA's position is that kratom is not lawfully marketed in the U.S. as a drug product, a dietary supplement or a food additive in conventional food, and on December 2, 2025 the FDA announced that U.S. Marshals had seized about 73,000 units of 7-OH products from three firms in Missouri as adulterated. Our kratom laws by state hub covers the federal layer in more detail.

Driving and criminal records

Missouri's impaired-driving law defines "intoxicated condition" in Mo. Rev. Stat. 577.001(13) as being "under the influence of alcohol, a controlled substance, or drug, or any combination thereof," so the definition is not limited to scheduled drugs; the driving-while-intoxicated offense is in section 577.010, which was amended by H.B. 1740 effective August 28, 2026. See our guide to Missouri DUI laws. Because kratom leaf, mitragynine and 7-OH are not listed in Missouri's schedules, possessing them is not a listed drug offense, though a product could be charged as a Schedule I analogue under section 195.022 if a court found it substantially similar to a scheduled compound, and possessing mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15 or MGM-16 can lead to a state drug conviction; for how Missouri handles closing records generally, see Missouri expungement laws.

Related

• Kratom laws by state
• Missouri DUI laws
• Missouri expungement laws
• Missouri psilocybin mushroom laws

This article provides general legal information about Missouri state law as of October 11, 2026. It is not legal advice. Bills, health department rules and federal scheduling actions can change the rules quickly. For advice about a specific situation, contact a lawyer licensed in Missouri or the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

Last updated: 2026-10-11.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is kratom legal in Missouri?

Kratom, mitragynine and 7-OH are not listed in Missouri's Schedule I (Mo. Rev. Stat. 195.017) or in the state schedule rule, 19 CSR 30-1.002, and no Missouri statute regulates kratom sales. Three semi-synthetic compounds, mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15 and MGM-16, are in Missouri Schedule I under an emergency rule effective September 25, 2026 that expires March 23, 2027. The 2026 bills to schedule 7-OH or regulate kratom were not enacted.

Is 7-OH banned in Missouri?

No Missouri statute or rule schedules 7-hydroxymitragynine by name, although a 7-OH product could be treated as a Schedule I analogue under Mo. Rev. Stat. 195.022 if a court found it substantially similar to a scheduled compound. Senate Bill 1605 (2026), as introduced, would have placed 7-OH concentrated above 400 parts per million on a dry-weight basis in Schedule I, and House Bill 1614 targeted certain 7-OH products, but neither became law. Distributors agreed in 2026 settlements with the Attorney General to stop selling 7-OH or other kratom products in Missouri.

What is the age limit for kratom in Missouri?

Missouri state law sets no minimum age for buying kratom. Senate Bill 927 (2026) would have barred sales to persons under twenty-one, but it was not enacted. Some cities regulate kratom sales: Kansas City requires a city Kratom Retail License and age verification for customers 21 and older, and state law still applies alongside any city rule.

Is it a crime to possess kratom in Missouri?

Missouri's possession offense in Mo. Rev. Stat. 579.015 applies to controlled substances, and kratom, mitragynine and 7-OH are not listed by name on the state's schedules. Section 195.022 treats any analogue of a Schedule I substance as Schedule I, so a kratom-derived product could be charged if a court found it substantially similar to a scheduled compound such as mitragynine pseudoindoxyl. Mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15 and MGM-16 are in Missouri Schedule I under an emergency rule effective September 25, 2026, so possessing them is a class D felony under 579.015.2. They are also federal Schedule I substances under a DEA temporary order effective August 26, 2026.

Does the federal kratom compound order apply in Missouri?

The DEA temporary order effective August 26, 2026 is federal law and applies in Missouri. Missouri's own schedules pick up federal changes through Mo. Rev. Stat. 195.015.4, which refers to emergency rules after a final federal order. The Department of Health and Senior Services emergency amendment to 19 CSR 30-1.002, effective September 25, 2026 and set to expire March 23, 2027, lists the three compounds in Missouri Schedule I.

What did the Missouri Attorney General do about 7-OH?

In releases dated June 4, June 10 and August 6, 2026, the Attorney General's office announced a series of agreements under which distributors agreed to stop selling 7-OH or other kratom products in Missouri; the two June agreements are each backed by an agreed $5 million penalty if breached. The releases say the agreements are not admissions of liability. The office has also said it will enforce consumer protection laws that, in its view, forbid the sale of 7-OH, MGM-15, MGM-16 and pseudoindoxyl; that is the office's position, not a statute.