Missouri attorney general files lawsuit against EDP Kratom

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway filed a lawsuit against Relax Relief Rejuvenate Trading LLC, known as EDP Kratom, for unlawfully manufacturing and selling deadly opioids, according to a news release from the attorney general. The lawsuit was filed on Thursday, citing the company's continued manufacture, distribution and sale of kratom and its alkaloids: Mitragynine, 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) and dihydro-hydroxymitragynine (MGM-15). Hanaway's petition, filed in collaboration with the Department of Health and Senior Services, said that EDP Kratom markets kratom's alkaloids without the adequate safety testing and approvals required by state and federal law, according to the release. Additionally, the petition asserts that EDP Kratom doesn't disclose dangerous active ingredients in their products, downplays the risk of addiction and withdrawal, and doesn't mention the risk of overdose at all. Studies have revealed that MGM-15 is a highly potent synthetic derivative of 7-OH, and 15 times more potent than morphine, according to the release. Hanaway's office is seeking to prohibit the company from advertising or selling kratom and 7-OH products, and penalize the company $1,000 per violation, according to the release. "Our mission is to safeguard Missourians from unregulated and addictive substances, and we will continue to pursue every legal tool available to protect public health and safety,” Attorney General Hanaway said in the news release. "We will not tolerate a business model built on secrecy and addiction—where companies hide key ingredients, downplay withdrawal risks and then send free samples to keep people dependent." The release claims that EDP Kratom's failure to disclose risks mislead Missouri consumers when purchasing their products in gas stations or smoke shops. Additionally, the Attorney General claims that the company ships free OH-7 products to consumers known to have serious addictions to these products. "Missourians should understand that something marketed as ‘natural’ does not always mean safe," DHSS Chief Medical Officer Heidi Miller said in the release. "Cocaine, derived from the coca leaf, and morphine, derived from the opium poppy, are also ‘natural’ yet remain highly addictive and potentially deadly." EDP Kratom first received a warning letter from the FDA on June 25, 2025, informing the company that "introducing or delivering a product containing 7-OH into interstate commerce violated the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act," according to the press release. Hanaway subsequently launched her investigation into these opioids in November of 2025 and immediately issued civil investigative demands to EDP Kratom. Weeks later, the United States Justice Department confiscated thousands of 7-OH products from EDP Kratom and other warehouses. The news release urges Missourians that have been harmed by opioids to contact the Attorney General's office.