Kratom products have gone unregulated in California, unnerving both fans and critics

Matthew Lowe, executive director of the advocacy group Global Kratom Coalition, said some synthetic products have "very, very high doses" of a particular chemical found in scant amounts in kratom leaf material. Several kratom researchers have warned that chemical — 7-hydroxymitragynine — poses a higher risk of abuse.
"It certainly isn't kratom as nature intended," said Lowe, whose organization supports the California bill. Kratom products should have "the same ratios as the alkaloids are found within nature."