Trump Administration Backs Down on an Opioid Ban After Kratom Industry Lobbying NYT > Top Stories By: Christina Jewett 28 October 2026 at 12:03 Health officials will now allow some levels of a powerful substance to remain in products marketed as natural. The change could help a G.O.P. donor facing wrongful death lawsuits. Β© Nick Oxford for The New York TimesBanners promoting the sale of kratom products outside a smoke shop in Tulsa, Okla., earlier this year.