The agency determined that placing these three substances in Schedule I is necessary to avoid an imminent hazard to public safety. This designation imposes regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal sanctions applicable to Schedule I controlled substances on persons who handle or propose to handle them.

The temporary scheduling order includes the isomers, esters, ethers, salts, and salts of isomers, esters, and ethers of mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, and MGM-16 whenever their existence is possible. Mitragynine pseudoindoxyl is chemically identified as Methyl (E)-2-((1′S,6′S,7′S)-6′-ethyl-4-methoxy-3-oxo-3′,5′,6′,7′,8′,8a′-hexahydro2′H-spiro[indoline-2,1′-indolizine]-7′-yl)-3-methoxyacrylate.

MGM-15 is chemically identified as Methyl (E)-2-((2S,3S,7aS,12aR,12bS)-3-ethyl-7a-hydroxy-8-methoxy1,2,3,4,6,7,7a,12,12a,12b-decahydroindolo[2,3-a]quinolizin-2-yl)-3methoxyacrylate and is also known as dihydro-7-hydroxymitragynine. MGM-16 is chemically identified as Methyl (E)-2-((2S,3S,7aS,12aR,12bS)-3-ethyl-9-fluoro-7a-hydroxy-8-methoxy1,2,3,4,6,7,7a,12,12a,12b-decahydroindolo[2,3-a]quinolizin-2-yl)-3methoxyacrylate and is also known as 9-fluorodihydro-7-hydroxymitragynine or 10-fluoro-dihydro-7-hydroxymitragynine.

Timeline

On January 20, 2026, the Assistant Secretary for Health stated that the Department of Health and Human Services had no objection to the temporary placement of these substances in Schedule I. In May 2026, the notice of intent discussed findings from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s three-factor analysis dated May 2026.

The Drug Enforcement Administration published a notice of intent to temporarily schedule mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, and MGM-16 in the Federal Register on July 6, 2026. On August 24, 2026, the agency issued the temporary scheduling order placing the substances in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. On that same date, the agency determined the placement was necessary to avoid an imminent hazard to public safety and imposed regulatory controls and sanctions on handlers. The order also specified that it includes relevant isomers, esters, ethers, and salts, and provided the chemical identification for mitragynine pseudoindoxyl as Methyl (E)-2-((1′S,6′S,7′S)-6′-ethyl-4-methoxy-3-oxo-3′,5′,6′,7′,8′,8a′-hexahydro2′H-spiro[indoline-2,1′-indolizine]-7′-yl)-3-methoxyacrylate.

What's New

Additional reporting identifies the Drug Enforcement Administration as a United States federal law enforcement agency. The Health and Human Services Department published a notice titled Request for Information: Categories Used in Federal Vaccine Recommendations and the Role of Shared Clinical Decision-Making on August 24, 2026.

How Sources Differ

Reporting on the Drug Enforcement Administration presents a detail gap regarding its federal status. Wikidata describes the Drug Enforcement Administration as a United States federal law enforcement agency.

Why It Matters

The temporary Schedule I designation subjects handlers of mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, and MGM-16 to immediate administrative, civil, and criminal sanctions. This order extends regulatory controls to all possible isomers, esters, ethers, and salts of these substances to address an identified imminent hazard to public safety. The restrictions remain in effect until August 26, 2028, altering the legal status of these specific chemical compounds and their derivatives.