Kratom in Tampa Bay has sparked national curiosity after the FDA announced plans to regulate a powerful compound derived from the plant. But here’s the twist: the crackdown is not targeting the kratom leaf itself — a key distinction that matters deeply in Tampa Bay, dubbed by some as the kava capital of the U.S.
When FDA Commissioner Marty Makary clarified that the agency’s focus is on “concentrated synthetic byproducts” of kratom — not the plant or leaf powder — it offered a sigh of relief to local businesses. “We are not targeting the kratom leaf or ground up kratom,” he said. Instead, the spotlight is on 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, a highly potent compound often marketed in tablets, shots, and gummies.
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