CLAY COUNTY - As she stood behind Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on June 22, Patti Wheeler watched as he placed his pen on the paper.

Although Uthmeier was signing an emergency rule to target kratom, the substance that killed her 27-year-old son Wyatt two years ago, there was a feeling inside of her that she couldn't shake. One that made her feel like it wasn't going to be enough.

"Their intentions are very noble and good. [It's] a good first start, first step. We have to move it forward," she said.

The restriction aims to further prohibit the sale of 7-hydroxymitragynine, commonly known as 7-OH, and other related compounds. 

As a natural alkaloid of kratom, a leafy plant derived from Southeast Asia, it can produce opioid and stimulant-like effects, often leading to addiction and potential overdose.

Although kratom has been noted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as "one of concern," and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned of its dangers, according to the Mayo Clinic, the product still remains stocked with no clear labeling. 

In a press release, Uthemeier said that the new ban aims to remove the drug from store shelves, protecting families and holding manufactures and sellers accountable.

It's true that kratom is widely unknown with only 19% of U.S. adults familiar with the substance, according to the American Psychiatric Association (APA). Once processed, it's often in powder form. However, it could be pressed into a tablet, chewed, brewed or added to a liquid.

Wheeler said Wyatt took it as an over-the-counter supplement. While on vacation with him, she discovered it.

Eighteen days later, he was dead.

The 2023 National Survey on Drug Use & Health estimates that kratom has 1.6 million annual users in the U.S. And the National Drug Early Warning System reported that, between January 2023 and April 2025, there were more than 4,200 EMS encounters with kratom overdoses.

 While 7-OH occurs naturally in kratom in trace amounts, according to the Attorney General's Office, concentrated extracts sold in stores and online platforms are more hazardous. Wheeler said Wyatt died from using concentrate. 

"It was something that was 50 to 100 times more powerful than the powder. And that loss changed my life forever," she said. "And while the proposal in Florida seems to focus mostly on 7-hydroximitragynine, my concern goes much further."

 In addition to 7-OH, the restriction targets chemicals like mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, 7-acetoxymitragynine, 9-hydroxycorynantheidine, 10-hydroxycorynantheidine, MGM-15 and MGM-16 often found in kratom. No product may contain more than 1 milligram of the chemicals per gram, and any amount must contain at least 100 times more regular mitragynine by mass.

According to the Attorney General's Office, illegal manufacturers or sellers could face felony-level arrests, prosecutions, product seizures and shutdowns.

 Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson said the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has already removed over 23,000 illegal 7-OH packages from retailers across Florida. He added that inspectors continue to conduct routine checks and targeted sweeps across the state.

But Wheeler said the ban doesn't fully address the other traditional forms of the drug that are still available. She also questions the ability to fully regulate and monitor the products if there is no proper labeling to begin with.

"If something isn't safe, it should not be on the shelf," she said. "The FDA should have to do their job. They should research it, put their seal of approval on it, then bring it back onto the shelf after they have reviewed it and deemed that it's safe."

"This needs to be federal. Going state by state is very hard to do."

Every day, Wheeler said she hears a new story of a family who has lost someone to kratom. And it's her mission to be an advocate for those who can't speak up for themselves. 

Back in May, she premiered her film "Kratom: Side Effects May Include" in Jacksonville, a deep dive into the drug's dangerous effects. It will begin distribution later this year.

And addition to beginning the nonprofit, "A Beautiful Life Stolen," Wheeler has also garnered the Americans Against Kratom Coalition, which she will launch soon.

She said that her son's spirit is a guiding force of motivation.

"The loss of Wyatt for me was the most devastating thing. And I wish I knew that another family wouldn't suffer the same fate."