MGM-15, MGM-16 and mitragynine pseudoindoxyl are Schedule I, 51 days after the notice of intent

A temporary scheduling order placing mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15 and MGM-16 — along with their isomers, esters, ethers and salts — into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act took effect on August 26, 2026, 51 days after the Drug Enforcement Administration announced it intended to issue one.

The order itself is what changes the law. From August 26, 2026, handling any of the three substances carries the regulatory controls and the administrative, civil and criminal penalties that apply to Schedule I drugs [1]. It expires on August 26, 2028 unless DEA extends it or makes it permanent, in which case a further Federal Register document will follow [1]. Barring that expiry or a further action, this is now the operative rule for these three substances specifically.

What it does not do: it does not schedule 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) itself. On the same day DEA announced this order — July 6, 2026 — it also issued a separate notice of intent proposing to place 7-OH in Schedule I, but only above a specified threshold: botanical material from Mitragyna speciosa exceeding 0.050% 7-hydroxymitragynine by dry weight; synthetic material exceeding 0.050% by weight/weight, weight/volume or volume/volume, or 1.00 milligram; or material derived from Mitragyna speciosa and further processed into alternative dosage forms exceeding 0.050% or 1.00 milligram [2]. A notice of intent announces an order the agency plans to issue later; it schedules nothing on its own. Nothing about 7-OH's legal status changes until DEA's separate 7-OH order is published and takes effect [2].

This order traces back to the notice of intent DEA published on July 6, 2026, which projected the order would follow on or after August 5, 2026 [3]. It took effect on August 26, 2026 [1].

References

1. Schedules of Controlled Substances: Temporary Placement of Mitragynine Pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, and MGM-16 in Schedule I — Federal Register
2. Schedules of Controlled Substance: Temporary Placement of 7-Hydroxymitragynine Above a Specified Threshold in Schedule I — Federal Register
3. Schedules of Controlled Substances: Temporary Placement of Mitragynine Pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, and MGM-16 in Schedule I — Federal Register