April 9th, 2026 Local News
Jefferson City, Mo. (KFMO) - Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced her office is widening its investigation into kratom and 7-hydroxymitragynine products, bringing the total number of businesses now under scrutiny to 22.
Hanaway said the latest action targets 10 additional entities across Missouri’s kratom supply chain, including manufacturers, distributors, and retailers. Those businesses are being served with Civil Investigative Demands, or CIDs, as part of what the Attorney General’s Office describes as a broader effort to determine whether Missouri consumers are being exposed to unsafe or unlawfully marketed products.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, the newly targeted manufacturers are AlphaBeta Brewery LLC doing business as Alpha Brewing Company in St. Louis, Kappa Alkaloids LLC in Kansas City, NUNU LLC in Kansas City, and Francis K. Kalaiwaa doing business as Rize Botanicals in Gladstone. Distributors named in the expansion include 72 Wholesale LLC in St. Peters, Blacktop Distribution LLC in Kansas City, and Quality Wholesale STL LLC in St. Louis. Retailers include Big Dreams Ventures LLC doing business as VEGA 7X in Joplin, Green Kings LLC in Springfield, and Mr. Tobacco Maplewood LLC in Wentzville.
Hanaway said businesses that manufacture, distribute, or sell what she described as “unapproved, unsafe, opioid products” in Missouri will be held accountable. She also issued a warning to retailers, urging them to remove dangerous kratom alkaloid products from store shelves immediately.
The Attorney General’s Office says the investigation is examining how kratom products are manufactured, labeled, marketed, and tested, along with ingredient lists, adverse event reports, supply sources, and alkaloid concentration. Investigators are also seeking information about whether businesses failed to disclose the presence of psychoactive compounds such as 7-OH to Missouri consumers.
State officials continue to raise alarms about 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, a potent alkaloid found in very small amounts in the kratom plant but often concentrated in commercial products. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services warns that 7-OH products can be highly addictive and may cause poisoning, overdose, respiratory depression, and death. The agency says some products are sold in forms that resemble candy, drinks, or supplements.
The Attorney General’s Office also noted that a lawsuit was filed March 31 against CBD American Shaman and related entities over the manufacture, distribution, and sale of kratom and 7-OH products. That lawsuit alleges consumers were misled about the safety and risks of those products.
Senator Mike Henderson is working with Hanaway to remove such products.
Missourians who believe they were harmed or misled by kratom products are encouraged to file a complaint through the Missouri Attorney General’s Office or call the Consumer Protection Hotline at 800-392-8222.