RFK Jr. targets Kratom compound in new drug control push

"This is really a sinister, sinister industry."

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced plans to regulate a potent kratom derivative, citing concerns over the plant-based substance's opioid-like effects and widespread availability.

The initiative focuses on 7-hydroxymitragynine, known as 7-OH, a compound found in kratom that federal officials say binds to brain opioid recep…