7-OH’s Ban Sparks Controversy in Kava and Kratom Tea Houses

It's a Friday night at Palm Bay’s Nocturne Teas. Kava bowls line the counter, giving the air an earthy smell, and the drinks are flowing. Guests sip mocktails or canned drinks at the wraparound bar, unwind on full-length couches, or play pool and video games beneath pulsing EDM/Alternative music. A small stage centers the space, where live performers keep the energy going well past midnight.

Despite the recent ban on 7-OH–a key ingredient in kratom, which is offered at bars such as these–it feels like business as usual here at Nocturne Teas, which draws a diverse cross section of the community, including students from nearby Florida Institute of Technology. 

On August 13, 2025, Florida enacted an emergency ban, 2ER25-2 on 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), reclassifying the compound as a Schedule I controlled substance. Found in trace amounts in kratom, 7-OH is known for its strong opioid-like effects. In a recent study by the FDA it was found that 7-OH was found to be 13 times more potent than morphine. The ban marks the state’s latest move to regulate plant-based substances gaining popularity in bars and tea houses across South Florida.

Intuitively, it seems like the ban would impact the kava bars, but instead, the tea houses are simply shifting gears, and business seems to be booming as usual. Some customers, however, have been upset about the changes. 

“We’ve had people that were disappointed that the new 7-OH beverages had changed, although they still order other drinks,” said Corbin Monge, 25, a veteran and a co-owner of Nocturne Teas. 

Drinks containing 7-OH have been at the center of controversy for some time. A class action lawsuit was filed in 2023 against Botanic Tonics, the company that manufactured Feel Free, a kratom-based drink that was advertised as a safe alternative to alcohol; the lawsuit alleged that the company didn’t properly disclose kratom-associated health risks. The lawsuit was settled earlier this year for $8.75 million. 

While kratom and kava are distinct plants with distinct properties that have a different impact upon those who consume them, prior to the ban, both were commonly served at kava bars. The two were sometimes blended in teas. Kava bars often have warnings and signs explaining the dangers of kava and kratom to the individual consumer as well as educating them on the origin of these substances.

Before the August ban, 7-OH was also sometimes available in a concentrated pill form that was far more potent than kratom. 

While some consumers and proprietors admit that pills and other products containing high dosages of 7-OH can be dangerous, many disagree with claims that kratom-based teas are dangerous. When 7-OH is distilled and isolated–which is not the case with teas–“that’s when you get those drastic negative 7-OH effects,” said Monge.

Some customers and tea house owners, like Monge, agree with the ban on distilled forms of 7-OH, including pills. 

Kava bars, Monge said, “were making a killing on something that was overpriced, easily accessible, and ultimately should not have been put on the market to begin with. It [7-OH] did a very great disservice to the kava and kratom community; introducing those products gave us a bad name.”

Changes that have come in the wake of the recent ban have been met with mixed reactions. 

“Some drinks had 7-OH, and they had to change their formula. Regulars at the bar would say this [change] would ruin you or that it was the best thing,” said Jack Meyer, a 21-year-old Palm Bay resident and cook who frequents Nocturne. 

Kratom–and the places it is sold in–is sometimes touted as a way for opioid users to stop using. But neither tea houses, kratom, 7-OH, or the ban will make a substantial difference, according to Meyer. 

 “You kidding me? These people say, ‘Oh, this is how you're gonna get off drugs–this is how you stop being addicted–when people are doing and dealing drugs in these places pretty openly.”