MGM-15: legal

Status varies by jurisdiction, and none of this is legal advice.

In the United States, MGM-15 was not scheduled as of November 2025 [1]. The DEA gave notice of intent to temporarily place it in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, with publication expected on or after August 5, 2026 [2]. As of August 11, 2026, no such order had yet appeared, and MGM-15 remained federally uncontrolled [2]. The temporary order was then published effective August 26, 2026, placing MGM-15 in Schedule I until August 26, 2028, listed at 21 CFR 1308.11(h)(90) under drug code 9673 [3]. That order applies the same administrative, civil, and criminal sanctions as any other Schedule I substance to anyone who handles or proposes to handle it [3], and rests on a finding that scheduling was necessary to avoid an imminent hazard to public safety [3]. Temporary scheduling of this kind normally runs two years and can be extended a further year if permanent scheduling proceedings have started [2]. The DEA has since given notice that it intends to publish a further temporary order maintaining the same placement without change, and the current order stays in force until it expires or that new order replaces it [4]. A separate HHS letter dealing with a related compound did not affect this finding [4].

States do not automatically follow federal scheduling. The Ohio Board of Pharmacy concluded that mitragynine-related compounds should be controlled in Schedule I and requested that the Governor issue an emergency rule [5], while a Hawaii state informational bulletin from July 2026, written before the federal order, said kratom, mitragynine, 7-OH, and MGM-15 were not considered controlled substances and that kratom products are not federally regulated [6]. Check the rules that apply where you actually are, rather than relying on any single snapshot of its status.

References

1. Dihydro-7-Hydroxy Mitragynine — NPS Discovery New Drug Monograph (Nov 2025) — Center for Forensic Science Research and Education (CFSRE), NPS Discovery
2. Schedules of Controlled Substances: Temporary Placement of Mitragynine Pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, and MGM-16 in Schedule I — US Drug Enforcement Administration — Federal Register, 91 FR 40909 (2026-07-06)
3. Schedules of Controlled Substances: Temporary Placement of Mitragynine Pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, and MGM-16 in Schedule I (temporary scheduling order) — US Drug Enforcement Administration — Federal Register, 91 FR 54948 (2026-08-26)
4. Schedules of Controlled Substances: Temporary Placement of MGM-15 and MGM-16 in Schedule I (notice of intent) — US Drug Enforcement Administration — Federal Register, 91 FR 65381 (2026-10-14)
5. Classification of Mitragynine-Related Compounds as Schedule I Controlled Substances - Emergency Rule — Ohio Board of Pharmacy
6. Kratom Informational Bulletin — Hawai'i State Government (Office of the Governor / Department of Health)