Key facts
- Multiple US states are enacting or considering bans on kratom due to addiction and overdose concerns.
- Hospitalizations linked to kratom have significantly increased, particularly with the emergence of synthetic versions.
- Kratom is described as 'gas-station heroin' and is linked to worsening the opioid crisis by some experts.
- The American Kratom Association disputes the addictive nature of kratom, attributing issues to synthetic variants.
- Idaho reported kratom as a factor in 47 deaths between 2021 and 2023, with a local coroner attributing four deaths solely to kratom's active compound.
- Tennessee and Idaho Falls will ban kratom effective July 1.
- Rhode Island became the first state to roll back its ban on kratom, permitting sales to those 21 and older at licensed businesses.
Multiple US states are moving to ban kratom, a plant-derived substance that can produce opioid-like effects, amid growing concerns over addiction and overdose risks. The substance, often sold in gas stations and smoke shops, has seen a dramatic increase in hospitalizations and is being linked to the ongoing opioid crisis by public health officials.
The kratom tree, native to Southeast Asia, is a member of the coffee family. Traditionally, it has been used to fight fatigue, improve work productivity, as an herbal remedy, and in religious ceremonies. While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved any uses of kratom, it has more recently been used to treat pain or opioid withdrawal symptoms; improve mood, focus, and energy levels; and manage mental health problems.
However, several states have taken action against kratom. Much of the focus has been on a chemical compound in kratom, 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), especially synthetic versions of it. Considered an opioid, the non-natural form of 7-OH can be far more potent and addictive than kratom. The FDA reported in 2025 that 7-OH can be 13 times more potent than morphine and recommended that certain 7-OH products be scheduled under the Controlled Substances Act.
Research into the short- and long-term effects of kratom continues. So far this year, officials in multiple states have linked kratom to dozens of deaths. Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Vermont, Louisiana, and Wisconsin have banned kratom. It was classified as a Schedule I controlled substance in Connecticut and Kansas (here, the declaration impacted 7-OH kratom-related products) and banned earlier this year. Last month, Utah’s ban limiting the sale of kratom products also took effect. 7-OH kratom-related substances were designated as Schedule I controlled substances in Kansas earlier this year. The state’s ban on the sale and possession of the products will take effect on July 1. At the same time, Tennessee’s kratom ban will begin. "Matthew Davenport’s Law," named after a 27-year-old who died after taking kratom along with a prescription medication, makes possession a misdemeanor and manufacturing or distributing a felony. Tennessee already regulates the sale of the kratom plant and bans synthetic kratom alkaloids.
Rhode Island recently became the first state to roll back its ban on kratom, with a new law permitting the sale to those who are 21 and older and shopping at licensed businesses. Applications for licensure opened earlier this month, and the synthetic form of kratom remains banned. Rhode Island joins several other states – Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, South Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and New York – which have passed the Kratom Consumer Protection Act touted by the American Kratom Association. These broadly impose age restrictions and require products to detail ingredients and warn of possibly addictive qualities. The organization says that kratom remains legal in more than a dozen other states: Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Massachusetts, and Maine. Missouri launched a statewide investigation into kratom and 7-OH products earlier this year.