Is 9-OH (9-hydroxycorynantheidine) Legal in Pennsylvania? (2026)

Gray area

As of November 12, 2026, 9-OH (9-hydroxycorynantheidine) is in a legal gray area (sold in practice, exposed to an interpretive ban theory) in Pennsylvania. Not scheduled and no kratom act; exposure only through the designer-drug offense (35 P.S. 780-102, 780-113(a)(36)), which is interpretive. Controlling source: 35 P.S. 780-102 (designer drug) and 780-113(a)(36) (designer drug offense).

Verified November 12, 2026 (hash check) · confidence: under review

Is 9-OH Legal? Every state and federal law

WatchNo pending legislation, deadlines or enforcement actions on file for 9-OH in Pennsylvania.
Rule type
permanent
Tier
Under review

What the record says

9-OH is not listed in the Pennsylvania schedules (35 P.S. 780-104 and 28 Pa. Code 25.72), and neither the act nor the Code mentions kratom or mitragynine; the Schedule I opiate chapeau reaches only isomers, esters, ethers and salts of listed opiates. A controlled substance is defined only by the act's own schedules, and federal scheduling carries over only by Department of Health notice in the Pennsylvania Bulletin (780-103); in any case 9-OH is not federally listed, and the Bulletin through Nov. 7, 2026 shows no kratom scheduling notice. Pennsylvania has no kratom consumer protection act, so no age, labeling, registration, form or synthetic-alkaloid rule applies today. HB 2657 (PN 3980), which would regulate natural kratom products, tax them and ban synthetic kratom, passed the House 202 to 0 on 2026-10-05 and was referred to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on 2026-10-13; pending bills do not set status, and the 2025-2026 session ends 2026-11-30. The remaining state route is the designer-drug offense. 35 P.S. 780-102 defines a designer drug as a substance other than a controlled substance, intended for human consumption, with a chemical structure or an effect substantially similar to a Schedule I, II or III substance, and lists substituted indoles among example classes; 780-113(a)(36) prohibits its manufacture, distribution and possession. 9-OH is an indole alkaloid with reported opioid-receptor activity, so a tablet or liquid sold for human consumption could be charged under either prong, but no Pennsylvania schedule lists a kratom alkaloid to compare against and the reach is fact-dependent and untested, so the row is interpretive. Trace 7-OH: 7-OH is not state-listed; a federal listing would not carry over without a Bulletin notice. 9-OH is not federally scheduled; federal Analogue Act and FDA exposure are interpretive.

Controlling language, verbatim

"Designer drug" means a substance other than a controlled substance that is intended for human consumption and that either has a chemical structure substantially similar to that of a controlled substance in Schedules I, II or III of this act or that produces an effect substantially similar to that of a controlled substance in Schedules I, II or III. ... Section 13. Prohibited Acts; Penalties.--(a) The following acts and the causing thereof within the Commonwealth are hereby prohibited: ... (36) The knowing or intentional manufacture, distribution, possession with intent to distribute, or possession of a designer drug.

Source of excerpt

Citations

  1. 35 P.S. 780-102 (designer drug) and 780-113(a)(36) (designer drug offense) (Pennsylvania General Assembly, 2026-11-08) PRIMARYOFFICIAL
  2. 28 Pa. Code 25.72 Schedules of controlled substances (Pennsylvania Code and Bulletin, 2026-11-08)OFFICIAL
  3. HB 2657 (2025-2026), Kratom Standards, Labeling, and Consumer Protection Act, PN 3980 (Pennsylvania General Assembly, 2026-11-08)OFFICIAL
  4. Pennsylvania Bulletin, Volume 56, issues 43 to 45 (through Nov. 7, 2026) (Pennsylvania Code and Bulletin, 2026-11-08)OFFICIAL

Where 9-OH (9-hydroxycorynantheidine) stands across the country

LegalRestrictedGray areaIllegalNot yet verified

Among Pennsylvania's 6 neighbors, Ohio is illegal; Delaware and New York are restricted; Maryland and New Jersey are gray area; West Virginia is legal.

Open the interactive map · Every compound in Pennsylvania · Where 9-OH is banned · Embed this map

Federal posture

Not federally scheduled. Not federally scheduled: absent from 21 CFR 1308.11 and every DEA kratom-alkaloid order and notice; Analogue Act exposure is interpretive Federal detail

Verbatim law on file for Pennsylvania

2 instruments on file for this compound’s framework in Pennsylvania; 4 of 4 citations above are official sources. Each text carries its source and a fingerprint that changes when the law does.

35 P.S. 780-102 (definitions, controlled substance through designer drug); 35 P.S. 780-113(a)(36) · Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act: definitions and designer drug offenseOFFICIAL
Instrument
Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act: definitions and designer drug offense
Source
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/US/HTM/1972/0/0064..HTM
Retrieved
2026-10-29
Fingerprint
2c48ccb55e535572
“Controlled substance” means a drug, substance, or immediate precursor included in
            Schedules I through V of this act.

"Cosmetic" means: (i) substances intended to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled or sprayed
            on, introduced into or otherwise applied to the human body or other animal body or
            any part thereof for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness or altering
            the appearance, and (ii) substances intended for use as a component of any such substances,
            except that such term shall not include soap.

"Council" means the Governor’s Council on Drug and Alcohol Abuse.

“Counterfeit” means a controlled substance, other drug, device or cosmetic which,
            or the container or labeling of which, without authorization, bears the trademark,
            trade name, or other identifying mark, imprint, number, or device, or any likeness
            thereof, of a manufacturer, distributor, or dispenser other than the person or persons
            who in fact manufactured, distributed, or dispensed such substance and which thereby
            is falsely purported or represented to be the product of, or to have been distributed
            by, such other manufacturer, distributor, or dispenser.

"Court" means all courts of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, including magistrates
            and justices of the peace.

"Deliver" or “delivery” means the actual, constructive, or attempted transfer from
            one person to another of a controlled substance, other drug, device or cosmetic whether
            or not there is an agency relationship.

"Department" means the Department of Health of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

"Designer drug" means a substance other than a controlled substance that is intended
            for human consumption and that either has a chemical structure substantially similar
            to that of a controlled substance in Schedules I, II or III of this act or that produces
            an effect substantially similar to that of a controlled substance in Schedules I,
            II or III. Examples of chemical classes in which designer drugs are found include,
            but are not limited to, the following: Phenethylamines, N-substituted piperidines,
            morphinans, ecgonines, quinazolinones, substituted indoles and arylcycloalkylamines.
            (Def. amended Feb. 11, 2000, P.L.9, No.3)

(36)  The knowing or intentional manufacture, distribution, possession with intent to distribute,
            or possession of a designer drug. Nothing in this section shall be construed to apply
            to a person who manufactures or distributes a substance in conformance with the provisions
            of an approved new drug application or an exemption for investigational use within
            the meaning of section 505 of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. §
            355). For purposes of this section, no new drug shall be introduced or delivered for
            introduction except upon approval of an application pursuant to section 505 of the
            Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. ((36) amended Feb. 11, 2000, P.L.9, No.3)
35 P.S. 780-102 (designer drug); 35 P.S. 780-113(a)(36) · Definitions (controlled substance; designer drug); prohibited acts (designer drug offense)OFFICIAL
Instrument
Definitions (controlled substance; designer drug); prohibited acts (designer drug offense)
Source
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/US/HTM/1972/0/0064..HTM
Retrieved
2026-11-08
Fingerprint
c9fcf559d0254166
“Controlled substance” means a drug, substance, or immediate precursor included in Schedules I through V of this act.

"Designer drug" means a substance other than a controlled substance that is intended for human consumption and that either has a chemical structure substantially similar to that of a controlled substance in Schedules I, II or III of this act or that produces an effect substantially similar to that of a controlled substance in Schedules I, II or III. Examples of chemical classes in which designer drugs are found include, but are not limited to, the following: Phenethylamines, N-substituted piperidines, morphinans, ecgonines, quinazolinones, substituted indoles and arylcycloalkylamines. (Def. amended Feb. 11, 2000, P.L.9, No.3)

Section 13.  Prohibited Acts; Penalties.--(a)  The following acts and the causing thereof within the Commonwealth are hereby prohibited:

(36)  The knowing or intentional manufacture, distribution, possession with intent to distribute, or possession of a designer drug. Nothing in this section shall be construed to apply to a person who manufactures or distributes a substance in conformance with the provisions of an approved new drug application or an exemption for investigational use within the meaning of section 505 of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. § 355). For purposes of this section, no new drug shall be introduced or delivered for introduction except upon approval of an application pursuant to section 505 of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. ((36) amended Feb. 11, 2000, P.L.9, No.3)

9-OH (9-hydroxycorynantheidine) in neighboring states

9-OH in 44 other states

Closest to 9-OH in Pennsylvania

36 other compounds in Pennsylvania

Cite this page

Compound Analytics. “Is 9-OH Legal in Pennsylvania? Updated Nov 2026.” Compound Laws, https://compoundlaws.com/compounds/9-oh/pennsylvania/. Accessed November 13, 2026.

Compound Laws, published by Compound Analytics, reports the record: statutes verbatim, official citations, enforcement facts and verification dates. Nothing here is legal advice and nothing here describes how to get around a law. A jurisdiction with no verified row is reported as not yet verified, never as legal. Found an error? Corrections policy.

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