August 6, 2026 by Chris - Owner, Synaptex Unlimited
This page will serve as the hub for all regulatory updates regarding the current compounds that are at risk of scheduling.
CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE RIGHTS AND REASON PROJECT AND GET INVOLVED
Hello everyone,
We have recently been in contact with The Rights and Reason Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to challenging DEA overreach and defending the ability of scientists, researchers, and institutions to study compounds that deserve rigorous scientific evaluation—not blanket prohibition.
The DEA’s recent efforts to place multiple compounds into Schedule I are deeply concerning. Schedule I status creates substantial barriers to legitimate scientific research and can severely restrict the very work needed to better understand these substances, their risks, and their potential applications.
We believe this approach represents a serious step away from evidence-based drug policy. Decades of experience have shown that prohibition alone does not solve complex public-health problems, and the unusually aggressive series of DEA actions announced throughout July deserves meaningful legal, scientific, and public scrutiny.
We are not standing by while these decisions go unchallenged.
August 26, 2026 Update
So as many of you have seen, MGM-15, MGM-16, and Pseudoindoxyl Mitragynine have become Schedule 1 compounds. This is a very distressing time for science, and for sensible people. SR-17018 and other related SR compounds will become Schedule 1 tomorrow, August 27th. However, this fight is far from over.
The Rights and Reason Project had already filed a legal challenge against this specific compound's scheduling efforts by the DEA. Legally, the DEA was required to handle this case from R&R before taking any scheduling actions; permanent or temporary. Because they disregarded this challenge, they have now opened themselves up to a much larger lawsuit. We have already received confirmation that the legal team with R&R is preparing to file this lawsuit now. This may reverse the scheduling order, or it may remain scheduled for a time before a reversal in a month or two. We will see how things play out, but common sense and legal justice are currently on our side. We hope that this larger suit will bring the DEA back to their senses for a time and they will refrain from scheduling any more compounds until it is finished.
It is a very scary time for many right now. We urge you, in this time of uncertainty, to reach out to Rights and Reason or a similar nonprofit and volunteer your time or resources. We can't do this without help from the community.
August 14, 2026 Update
There isn’t a whole lot of new information, but I did want to make an update just to keep our customers informed.
Rights and Reason have successfully filed for a hearing for Tianeptine last Friday before deadline. The case will now be reviewed and go through the court system alongside the challenges they have filed against the temporary scheduling of SR-17018, and 7-Hydroxymitragynine (7-OH).
Here is my OPINION, as someone with front-line info direct from Rights and Reason: We have quite some months ahead of us before these compounds even have a chance to be temporarily scheduled (which generally remains in place until the permanent scheduling can occur). The DEA only has one administrative court in DC, so each case will take time to prepare for and then each case will have to happen consecutively, not concurrently. I am predicting that we have 4-6 months of freedom, after that it could go both ways. They will likely remain legal, but many other compounds (MGM-15, MGM-16, possibly Pseudoindoxyl Mitragynine) will likely be scheduled much sooner unless the filings are challenged. These fights are very expensive, and Rights and Reason is only able to take on fights they have funding for.
August 7, 2026 Update
Today is the deadline to request a hearing regarding the proposed scheduling of Tianeptine.
Rights and Reason legal team is completing its final review of the necessary filings this morning. They expect those filings to be certified and submitted to all required agencies before the end of the day.
If accepted, the hearing request will require the DEA to proceed through the applicable hearing process before reaching a final decision through that proceeding. That process is expected to take time and gives researchers, affected parties, and advocates an important opportunity to challenge the government’s position on the record.
Rights and Reason currently has two plaintiffs prepared to participate in this effort, and they are actively seeking additional qualified researchers.
If you know a researcher who currently works with Tianeptine—or who has conducted legitimate research involving Tianeptine in the past—please encourage them to contact The Rights and Reason Project as soon as possible.
At this time, there have also been no final scheduling orders issued for the other affected compounds discussed in these updates.
It is important to understand that regulatory outcomes remain uncertain. The DEA retains significant authority throughout these proceedings, and we do not want to create false confidence about what it may or may not do next. What we can say is that formal legal challenges create additional procedural scrutiny, preserve important rights, and give affected parties an opportunity to contest the government’s actions.
We intend to use every lawful avenue available.
August 6, 2026 Update
The Rights and Reason Project has initiated challenges related to the DEA’s emergency scheduling efforts involving 7-OH and SR-17018, as well as the proposed rulemaking involving Tianeptine. These proceedings are unlikely to be resolved overnight. Administrative hearings, litigation, agency review, and related procedural steps can take months, and potentially longer depending on how each matter develops.
For that reason, we want to be extremely clear about the current situation: There is no reliable, guaranteed date on which any of these compounds will become federally scheduled unless and until the DEA issues the applicable final or temporary scheduling action. Anyone presenting a specific future scheduling date as a certainty should be treated cautiously unless that claim is supported by an actual DEA order or Federal Register publication. The pending challenges may delay or otherwise affect the government’s timeline, but no responsible source should promise that a legal challenge automatically prevents the DEA from acting. The DEA may still attempt to move forward, and if it does, additional legal remedies may become available.
That uncertainty is precisely why continued action matters. These proceedings give researchers, businesses, consumers, advocates, and other affected parties additional time to organize, raise funds, develop evidence, identify qualified plaintiffs and experts, and challenge unsupported or overly broad government action. We intend to continue doing exactly that.
This is not a fight against reasonable regulation. It is a fight for evidence, due process, scientific freedom, proportionality, and rational policy. If the government is going to take actions that could eliminate entire areas of legitimate research and affect thousands of people, those actions should withstand serious scientific and legal scrutiny. The Rights and Reason Project is prepared to make sure they do.
If you would like to support these efforts—whether through participation, introductions to qualified researchers, advocacy, or financial contributions—please visit The Rights and Reason Project. Every additional resource gives this effort a stronger foundation to challenge the actions already underway and, where appropriate, additional compounds that may otherwise go uncontested.