Senate panel adopts amendment to preserve natural kratom, bans synthetic 7‑OH and advances H4641

The Senate Medical Affairs Subcommittee on Tuesday adopted an amendment to House Bill H4641 designed to preserve regulated access to natural kratom while banning synthetically derived 7‑hydroxymitragynine, then voted to move the amended bill forward.

The amendment, drafted with input from the South Carolina Medical Association, seeks to clarify that the state's Kratom Consumer Protection Act remains in force for natural kratom products while explicitly outlawing chemically produced or concentrated 7‑OH and other semi‑synthetic alkaloids. Sheldon Bradshaw, an FDA regulatory attorney representing Botanicals for Better Health and Wellness, told the panel the amendment resolves an internal conflict in the House language that could otherwise have the unintended effect of banning natural kratom altogether.

"The amendment ... makes it clear that the Kratom Consumer Protection Act still regulates kratom," Bradshaw said, and it "takes the step that South Carolina failed to take last year" by banning dangerous synthetic derivatives while preserving safety rules for natural products.

Medical students testifying for the South Carolina Medical Association urged targeted restrictions aimed at high‑potency products. Student doctor Liana Perazzo said concentrated formulations and engineered extracts are driving increased emergency visits and poison center calls and recommended a 2 percent cap on 7‑OH within the alkaloid fraction as a practical threshold used or considered in other states.

Several public‑health witnesses urged caution about blanket scheduling. Dr. Kirsten Smith, a researcher who has published clinical work on kratom and 7‑OH, said documented harms are rare and often involve polysubstance exposure. "These products have benefits and risks, which require further study and greater regulation," she told senators and urged a systematic, stakeholder‑driven approach rather than an immediate prohibition.

Representatives of law enforcement and the state laboratory described what they are seeing in South Carolina submissions. Dr. Todd Huey, laboratory director for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, testified that his labs are increasingly detecting highly concentrated 7‑OH products and that many postmortem samples include multiple drugs. He warned that purification and concentrated formulations present opioid‑like risks and cautioned that percentage rules could be difficult to enforce without clear testing and serving definitions.

Industry witnesses opposed the House bill as written. Thomas Beckham, owner of Outpost Post Brands, said the language would effectively ban commercially viable alkaloids and could cost local jobs. Beckham said his company moved manufacturing to Jasper County after last year's Kratom Consumer Protection Act established regulatory clarity and that overregulation could drive demand to illicit markets.

After questions and debate, the subcommittee adopted the amendment by voice vote. A subsequent motion to move H4641 forward as amended passed and the bill will proceed in the legislative process with the adopted changes.

What happens next: The committee accepted the amendment for further drafting and committed staff to work with stakeholders on technical fixes; senators reserved the right to refine language before floor consideration.