Kratom Watch is a campaign of United Against Fentanyl, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that interrupts the use of illicit fentanyl through innovative, bold, and effective initiatives. We are warning parents about kratom opioids: concentrated and lab-made opioids sold in gas stations, smoke shops and vape shops under the kratom name.
To schedule an interview with Paul Martin or Richard Baum, contact:
We respond within one hour on weekdays, and around the clock on launch day and the day the DEA order publishes.
Submit a media inquiry →Available for interviews: Paul Martin, founder and CEO, United Against Fentanyl. Richard Baum, former Acting Director, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, and member of the UAF board. Families and clinicians available on request.
United Against Fentanyl was built by families who lost children to a synthetic opioid. Kratom Watch is our campaign to stop the next one. Kratom opioids, concentrated and lab-made opioids such as 7-OH and MGPI, are sold at gas stations, smoke shops and vape shops under the kratom name, often as gummies, tablets and drink shots. Kratom Watch gives parents the facts and three ways to act, each in about 60 seconds: send letters asking state legislators and Congress for a 21+ age limit; ask members of Congress to strengthen and pass the End Gas Station Heroin Act (S. 5383 / H.R. 10272); and share a family’s story.
When we say kratom, we mean what’s sold under that name at gas stations: kratom opioids, such as concentrated 7-OH and MGPI, a lab-made relative. We are not targeting adults who use the kratom leaf, and we do not shame anyone who is dependent. Our concern is an opioid sold at a retail counter, in candy-like forms, under a plant’s name.
In the natural leaf, 7-OH is less than 0.05 percent by weight. “Enhanced” kratom products can contain as much as 500 percent more.Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 7-OH scientific assessment and consumer guide
If someone may be overdosing: give naloxone (Narcan), call 911 and stay until help arrives (CDC). Help with dependence: FindTreatment.gov or the SAMHSA National Helpline, 1-800-662-4357, free and confidential, 24/7.
Founder and CEO, United Against Fentanyl
Paul Martin is founder and CEO of United Against Fentanyl, based in Washington, D.C. He has a 30-year background in nonprofit and humanitarian work. The vision for UAF was born in Española, New Mexico, where he worked with people using fentanyl and with teenagers. He is a graduate of UCLA.
Former Acting Director, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy; UAF board member
Richard Baum is a former Acting Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), where he served from March 2017 to February 2018. Over roughly two decades at ONDCP, he worked on the federal response to drug supply, including the international flow of synthetic drugs. He serves on the board of United Against Fentanyl.
About United Against Fentanyl. United Against Fentanyl is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that interrupts the use of illicit fentanyl through innovative, bold, and effective initiatives. In 2026, more than 9,000 people joined 110 Walk for Lives events nationwide, held in partnership with the DEA, and UAF families have sent 9,000 letters to Congress.
New campaign lets anyone send letters to their state and federal lawmakers in 60 seconds
WASHINGTON: United Against Fentanyl today launched Kratom Watch, a campaign to warn parents about kratom opioids, the concentrated and lab-made opioids sold in gas stations, smoke shops and vape shops under the name kratom.
The products, often gummies, tablets and drink shots, contain concentrated 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) or mitragynine pseudoindoxyl (MGPI), a lab-made relative the DEA temporarily placed in Schedule I in August 2026. The DEA now plans to replace that order with a limit on how much of either compound a product can contain. The FDA calls 7-OH “an opioid that can be more potent than morphine” and warns that these products “may be especially appealing to children and teenagers.” The DEA says its abuse potential is similar to heroin, morphine and fentanyl.
“Our families learned what fentanyl was after it reached their children,” said Paul Martin, founder and CEO of United Against Fentanyl. “This time we’re not waiting. They make an opioid in a lab, call it a plant and sell it next to the Gatorade. Every parent should know that before their kid does.”
Kratom reports to U.S. poison centers rose from 258 in 2015 to 3,434 in 2025, according to the CDC. DEA toxicology testing has identified 7-OH in 85 overdose cases since 2019. Products the DEA reviewed held anywhere from 1 mg to 700 mg of 7-OH in a single serving, with no standard dose.
“We learned with fentanyl that banning one compound at a time doesn’t work. Chemists change a molecule, and the product is back on the shelf in weeks. The DEA is right to act on 7-OH. Now Congress should give it the tools to stay ahead of what comes next,” said Richard Baum, former Acting Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and a member of the UAF board. [QUOTE PENDING RICHARD’S APPROVAL]
At KratomWatch.org, visitors can take three actions, each in about 60 seconds. One form sends two prewritten letters: one asking their state legislators for a 21+ age limit on opioid-acting products sold outside pharmacies, and one asking their members of Congress for a national minimum age of 21. A second asks their senators and representative to cosponsor the End Gas Station Heroin Act (S. 5383 / H.R. 10272), close two loopholes in it and push it to a vote. A third invites families to share their stories. The site also explains the warning signs, how to respond to an overdose and where to find treatment.
The DEA has proposed placing 7-OH and MGPI in Schedule I when a product contains more than a set amount. Its order can publish on or after Nov. 13. United Against Fentanyl supports the DEA’s action and is calling on Congress to act so that the next lab-made compound cannot simply take 7-OH’s place on the shelf.
Kratom Watch does not target adults who use the kratom leaf. It focuses on kratom opioids: concentrated and lab-made opioids sold under the kratom name.
About United Against Fentanyl: United Against Fentanyl is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that interrupts the use of illicit fentanyl through innovative, bold, and effective initiatives. In 2026, more than 9,000 people joined 110 Walk for Lives events nationwide, held in partnership with the DEA, and UAF families have sent 9,000 letters to Congress. Learn more at unitedagainstfentanyl.org.
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