7-HOPE Alliance Updates
Protecting 7-OH and Kratom Nationwide
Dear Advocates,
Momentum is building across the country as more people speak up for science-based regulation and consumer access to 7-OH and kratom. At the same time, new challenges continue to surface at the state and local level.
This update shares where advocacy is making a difference, what conversations are happening next, and how you can stay involved in protecting access nationwide.
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🎉 A Major Win in California
7-OH Removed from SB 758 (Umberg)
This week, we issued a press release announcing a major victory in California: all 7-OH language has been completely removed from SB 758 (Umberg) and there are no criminal penalties associated with sale or use of 7-OH products.
This outcome came after 7-HOPE’s kratom and 7-OH advocates showed up in force on the hearing day, challenged the science being presented, and shared personal stories that lawmakers could not ignore. Members of the Public Safety Committee openly questioned the claims made about 7-OH and the lack of evidence supporting its treatment under the bill.
California is the largest state in the country, and this win matters far beyond state lines. It shows that organized advocacy, real science, and lived experience can change the outcome.
👉 Read the full press release here: Consumer, Veterans and Business Advocates of Plant-Based Kratom and 7-OH Products Successfully Block Criminalization in Sacramento and Call for Responsible Regulation
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📣 Join Our All-Advocates Virtual Call
Thursday, February 5 | 2pm PT / 5pm ET
We’re bringing the community together.
Next Thursday, we’re hosting an All-Advocates Virtual Call to share updates from across the country and talk openly about where the fight to save 7-OH and kratom stands.
You’ll hear from:
7-HOPE leadership
HART leadership
Community leaders and state action group organizers
We’ll cover:
Recent wins and ongoing threats
Where advocacy is working
What’s coming next and how to get involved
👉 Register here:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/NwZkgxaGQwKlAxYwVsVVCA#/registration
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🚨 Actions to Take This Week
We are watching potential bans and legislation in the following areas. If you are in any of these states, make your voices heard!
New York – Lawmakers Need Your Stories Before they Ban Kratom
New York state is attempting to schedule all kratom products with A4034
7 Hope Alliance/HART are fighting each state issue the best we can, but we need ALL of you to help!
Please email your testimonials, stories, and the real facts to the New York Assembly: Standing Committee on Health members:
PaulinA@nyassembly.gov, Bichotter@nyassembly.gov, Blumencranzj@nyassembly.gov, souffrantforrestp@nyassembly.gov, DinowitzJ@nyassembly.gov, chludzinskip@nyassembly.gov, grays@nyassembly.gov, gonzalezrojasj@nyassembly.gov, gandolfoj@nyassembly.gov, kellesa@nyassembly.gov, jensenj@nyassembly.gov, maherb@nyassembly.gov, lunsfordj@nyassembly.gov, lucasn@nyassembly.gov, reyesk@nyassembly.gov, rajkumarj@nyassembly.gov, norberd@nyassembly.gov, meeksd@nyassembly.gov, McDonaldJ@nyassembly.gov, SteckP@nyassembly.gov, slaterm@nyassembly.gov, sayeghn@nyassembly.gov, RosentL@nyassembly.gov
Washington State — Immediate Action Needed
Washington lawmakers are moving forward on HB 2291, a bill that would effectively ban 7-OH by making its distribution a misdemeanor. A committee hearing is scheduled for January 30 - tomorrow!
What you can do right now:
Email committee members urging them to oppose HB 2291 and support regulation, not prohibition
Call key legislators and ask them to vote NO on the bill
👉 Committee emails and phone numbers
Even short messages matter. Lawmakers need to hear that banning 7-OH will harm consumers and push people toward riskier alternatives, not improve public safety.
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🚨 Join Our Action Teams — LA, Sacramento, and Florida
The fight to protect kratom and 7-OH is intensifying — and organized local action is what’s driving real results.
In Los Angeles County, we’re preparing for a critical battle. Last week, 7-HOPE leaders and advocates attended a county hearing where mixed and conflicting messages risked opening the door to fear-based bans. This process is moving forward, and we need to be ready to respond quickly and in force.
To do that, we’re launching a Los Angeles County Action Team to keep advocates unified, informed, and prepared to show up when it matters most.
👉 Join the LA County Action Team:
https://7hopealliance.org/save-7-oh-in-la/
At the same time, advocacy is heating up in Sacramento and Florida. The recent Sacramento win — where advocates helped remove 7-OH from SB 758 — shows what coordinated action can achieve; however, we will be needing our community to show up in Sacramento again in the coming weeks.
If you live in or can support efforts in any of these areas, sign up today:
👉 Sacramento Action Team:
https://7hopealliance.org/save-7-oh-in-ca/
👉 Florida Action Team:
https://7hopealliance.org/save-7-oh-in-fl
What happens in these states will shape policy nationwide. Showing up together is how we win.
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💬 A Note from Our Founder, Jackie, on Coming Together as #WeAreAllKratom
Over the past few days, a Reddit post has been circulating widely that lays out, in stark terms, where the fight to protect kratom and 7-OH truly stands. I felt it was important to acknowledge it, because it reflects what many of us are now seeing play out in real time.
We are facing an unprecedented wave of legislation. More than 90 state-level bills in 2026 alone, plus a growing number of city and county actions, are targeting kratom and 7-OH. This didn’t happen because of a sudden safety crisis. It happened because fear-based narratives and misinformation were allowed to stand, reused, and normalized — until they became the basis for bans, scheduling, and enforcement.
If we stay divided, we will lose. It really is that simple.
This moment calls for unity, not infighting. It calls for us to put differences aside and come together around what matters most: keeping kratom and 7-OH legal, responsibly regulated, and accessible for the people who rely on them every day.
I’m calling on advocates, consumers, companies, and organizations across this space to come together now. We still have an opportunity to change the trajectory - let’s stay united!
— Jackie
👉 Link to post: Already 90+ State Bills in 2026: This Is How We Lose Kratom
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📰 In the News
High Times: Inside the Kratom Industry’s Growing Divide
A recent High Times article lays out the internal conflicts and financial interests within major kratom trade groups and how those dynamics have contributed to a wave of bans and bad policy.
The article makes something clear: if this path continues, we all lose.
👉 Read the article:
https://hightimes.com/news/7-oh-kratom-scheduling-prohibition-battle/
National Pulse: Leaked Emails Reveal How Industry Insiders Bent Federal Regulators
An investigative report based on leaked emails and public records raises serious questions about how industry insiders may have influenced federal regulators on 7-OH, highlighting conflicts of interest, enforcement-driven strategies, and the role of selective scientific framing rather than new public health data.
👉 Read the article:
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Thank you for showing up, speaking out, and standing with us. The momentum we’re building right now is real — and it only works if we keep moving together.
Onward,
The 7-HOPE Alliance Team