For over two decades, kratom has been marketed as a natural way to boost energy and manage chronic pain, anxiety, and opioid withdrawal. It's also become a common recreational drug because it mimics opioid effects and is often used during recovery.
Several states have passed laws to regulate kratom, and some have banned it outright, yet it remains widely available. But consumers, doctors, and lawmakers say it's causing serious harm.
As product liability and wrongful death claims pile up against kratom makers nationwide, Baltimore has joined the fight in a different way. On July 30, the city sued three kratom manufacturers, alleging they misled consumers about their products' safety and failed to disclose the risk of addiction.
A win for the city wouldn't compensate anyone harmed by kratom or addicted to a kratom product. However, the case is still worth understanding, especially considering how it may shape personal injury claims.
Why Is Baltimore Suing Kratom Producers?
The lawsuit names JOpen, Martian Sales, and Pur Botanicals, three affiliated companies behind the widely sold O.P.M.S. brand. The city accuses them of unfair, abusive, and deceptive trade practices under Baltimore's Consumer Protection Ordinance. They claim the companies made misleading safety claims while staying silent about a real risk – addiction.
Because kratom activates the same brain receptors as prescription opioids, users can become addicted in a similar way. The FDA has previously warned against OPMS Black Liquid Kratom specifically, after linking it to a death and a range of adverse effects despite its "natural and safe" marketing.
Unlike the product liability suits some kratom users have filed after becoming addicted, Baltimore's case is a law enforcement action, not a claim on behalf of injured consumers.
It aims to change how these companies advertise and sell kratom going forward; any penalties or court orders would enforce compliance, not cover an injured person's medical bills or lost wages.
That doesn't mean individuals harmed or loved ones affected by kratom are out of options. A federal court in California recently allowed a similar failure to warn lawsuit to proceed against a kratom seller. In addition, several other cases nationwide have already ended in jury verdicts or settlements for families affected by kratom-related deaths.
Combined, it’s a sign that kratom lawsuits built on addiction risk are gaining real traction in court.
DEA Targets What Makes Kratom Products Dangerous
Many products sold as "kratom" at gas stations, smoke shops, and online aren't the traditional leaf product most people picture or know about.
The FDA has warned that 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, is a concentrated derivative often falsely marketed as kratom. While trace amounts occur naturally in the plant, many tablets, gummies, and shots sold in the U.S. are synthetically enhanced to produce much stronger opioid-like effects.
In response, on July 1, 2026, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced it intends to temporarily place concentrated 7-OH into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. This means a threshold of 0.05% or higher will be considered a controlled substance, and it will be classified in the same category as heroin.
But the underlying kratom plant itself falls below that limit, so the new scheduling would target chemically altered 7-OH products.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) opened a 30-day public comment period on the DEA’s proposed kratom threshold. The final scheduling order could be issued at any time, and there’s a reason why does this matter for kratom users.
If you believe the kratom you’re taking is a mild herbal supplement and it turns out to be a synthetic product on the verge of becoming a Schedule I narcotic, it’s not just your health that could be affected. It could impact any legal claim you might have.
One way to protect yourself if you take kratom is to check your product's labeling for 7-OH content. If you don't see it listed, that itself may support a failure to warn legal argument.
Marketed as an Opioid Cure, But with the Same Risk
Perhaps the cruelest irony about synthetically altered kratom being claimed as an herbal supplement is who the products have been specifically targeted to.
Kratom's primary alkaloid binds to the same opioid receptors as morphine, yet it has been widely promoted as a natural tool for people trying to manage pain or get off opioids. The most vulnerable users are people actively working to escape opioid addiction, and they were sold a product carrying the same underlying risk, often without ever being told.
How the product was marketed to you or a loved one matters and is at the heart of many kratom lawsuits.
Maryland’s Kratom Laws Updated This Summer
Maryland kratom regulations have been in place since 2024. The state began requiring retailers to disclose the basis for any safety or health claims on labels and barred sales to anyone under 21.
This summer, the state went further when Governor Wes Moore signed companion bills House Bill 1523 and Senate Bill 820. This created a new "unauthorized consumable products" enforcement framework for kratom, tianeptine, and phenibut products, with civil penalties reaching $5,000 per violation.
Maryland also has new authority and enforcement to issue citations and seize noncompliant products. The law took effect July 1, 2026, which was the same day the DEA's 7-OH scheduling notice was filed.
Baltimore residents are now covered by both this statewide framework and the city's own consumer protection law. However, only Maryland's kratom law creates a way to tie individual harm Sto violations.
Legal Options for Injured Kratom Consumers
Personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits against kratom manufacturers have already resulted in multimillion-dollar verdicts elsewhere in the country based on failure to warn and negligence.
If you or a family member became addicted to kratom, suffered a health complication, or lost a loved one and want to know whether you have a valid claim, speak with a product liability attorney. They can evaluate whether your state's consumer protection or product liability law applies to what happened to you.
In terms of the Baltimore kratom lawsuit, what happens next may impact individual injury cases by building a public record of what these companies knew and when. Evidence, such as product packaging, receipts, and any medical records connecting your use to your injury is all evidence that becomes harder to reconstruct later.
