Kratom Dea 2021, In this article, we’ll examine the DEA’s current stance on kratom, recent updates in regulation, and what this means for consumers and the industry moving forward. " The DEA announced the popular herbal analgesic kratom would be classified as a Schedule I drug in September 2016, despite public outcry and scant evidence of danger. Drug Schedules Drugs, substances, and certain chemicals used to make drugs are classified into five (5) distinct categories or schedules depending upon the drug’s acceptable medical use and the drug’s abuse or dependency potential. WASHINGTON - The Drug Enforcement (DEA) today announced its intention to place the active materials in the kratom plant into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act in order to avoid an imminent hazard to public safety. 202112 December 6-7, 2021 Board Meeting Minutes 2026-01-27 Applications Now Open for Home Medical Equipment Services Advisory Council Application for Appointment to the Home Medical Equipment Services Advisory Council OARRS Data Submission Guide for Dispensers, Version 5. S. § 811 (h). [15][37] In Thailand, a 2007 survey found that the lifetime, past year, and past 30 days kratom consumption rates were 2. The FDA continues to warn about kratom supplement use, saying it is unsafe, but millions of Americans reporting using it. Learn more about cocaine from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. The Drug Enforcement Administration on Tuesday announced its intention to temporarily ban the chemicals contained in kratom, a popular herbal supplement that has been widely used as a way to self Members of Congress question DEA's plans to ban kratom without public comment. These leaves are crushed and then smoked, brewed Kratom is an herb derived from a leafy Southeast Asian tree and contains two psychoactive compounds that can bind to opioid receptors in the brain and produce a pharmacological response similar to effects produced by other opioid agonists, such as morphine. Jan 16, 2025 · As kratom’s popularity continues to grow, so does the debate surrounding its legality, safety, and potential for misuse. Our comprehensive guide provides up-to-date information on kratom laws across the USA in 2025. These leaves are crushed and then smoked, brewed with tea, or placed into gel capsules. However, one recent decision by the DEA to ban a substance was anything but routine, resulting in a widespread public backlash that was sufficient The DEA has threatened to classify kratom as a Schedule 1 substance, the same as heroin. See which states banned kratom, new regulations, and the current legal status by state. Gottlieb didn’t respond to requests for comment. Through advanced Crime Gun Intelligence (NIBIN According to the U. This work includes a critical focus on outreach, prevention, engagement, and education with law enforcement partners and communities across the nation. Consumption of its leaves produces both stimulant effects (in low doses) and sedative effects (in high doses), and can lead to psychotic symptoms, and psychological and physiological dependence. The bill restricts the types of businesses and locations where kratom products may be sold, and creates requirements for remote sales. state laws, restrictions, age limits, and legality guide. This document: (1) provides a singular resource for each Kratom is a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia. The FDA has not approved Kratom for any medical use. Researchers and users of kratom or Mitragyna speciosa were stunned by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s abrupt withdrawal last week of its stated plan to place the Southeast Asian plant The Drug Enforcement Administration includes kratom on its Drugs of Concern list (substances that are not currently regulated by the Controlled Substances Act, but that pose risks to persons who abuse them), and the National Institute of Drug Abuse has identified kratom as an emerging drug of abuse (3, 4). More recently in 2021, the World Health Organization Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (WHO ECDD), thoroughly reviewed all the evidence for international scheduling including written and oral statements from scientists around the world. DEA has listed kratom as a Drug and Chemical of Concern but to date has not exercised its authority to schedule kratom or its active compounds under the CSA. ⁷ Kratom is, however, still under The most controversial development regarding kratom is the recent decision by the DEA to classify kratom and the kratom-derived drugs, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitra-gine, as Schedule 1 controlled substances. (KCTV) - The Drug Enforcement Administration, or DEA, accepted a petition asking for the government to review Kratom. Nov 28, 2023 · FDA has approved no drug products containing kratom, mitragynine, or 7-hydroxymitragynine. In December, 2021, the World Health Organization Expert Committee on Drug Dependence concluded “there is insufficient evidence to recommend a critical review of kratom mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine” [for potential scheduling] but should be kept under surveillance (Commission on Narcotic Drugs, 2021). The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has listed kratom on a list of drugs of concern, but kratom has yet to be scheduled under the Controlled Substances Act. Kratom and kratom-based products are currently legal and accessible in many areas. Kratom grew in popularity throughout the 2000s alongside the opioid crisis, Garcia-Romeu said, leading the DEA to label it a “drug of concern. FDA issued warning letters for illegally selling unapproved, misbranded kratom-containing drug products with unproven claims. ”. This would have placed kratom in the same category as illegal street drugs like heroin, LSD, and ecstasy. The WHO ECDD concluded there was insufficient evidence to recommend scheduling kratom, meaning the available data did not show public health risks of kratom Kratom and 7-OH products are available in many smoke shops. FDA oversees destruction and recall of kratom products; and reiterates its concerns on risks associated with this opioid Results and Discussion ls and Methods In 2021, CAERS received 78 reports involving kratom products. 57%, respectively, among respondents aged 12–65 years, [20] and that kratom was the KANSAS CITY, Mo. DEA is committed to tackling the nationwide drug overdose and poisoning crisis that is driven by criminal drug networks. How Are Governments Responding? Federal The U. In 2016, in response to increasing calls to poison control centers, the Drug Enforcement Administration sought to ban kratom by making it a Schedule I drug. As of January 2026, 30 states and the District of Columbia regulate kratom. Last week the Food and Drug Administration and the In 2016, the DEA announced plans to add kratom to the government's most restrictive schedule 1, reserved for drugs that have no medial use and a high potential for abuse. This means the agency felt it had no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. 7 million Americans aged 12 and older used kratom in 2021, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health. NIDA is one of the National Institutes of Health. The FDA has made two specific recommendations to the DEA to schedule kratom as a Schedule I substance, thereby banning consumer access to kratom products. The majority of reports (96%) noted at least one adverse event. On the state level, kratom laws are constantly changing and vary greatly from state-to-state with some states completely banning the substance and other states adopting legislation that In November 2017, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb announced that kratom carried “narcotic like” risks of addiction and death but did not make public its October 17th recommendation to DEA to permanently place MG and 7-OH-MG in Schedule I of the CSA (Food and Drug Administration, 2017b; Food and Drug Administration, 2017c). Like the FDA and kratom, the DEA’s stance is that kratom is not beneficial to public health. See, 81 Fed. Discover where kratom is legal, regulated, and learn safe buying practices Community misused or used drugs chart in an A to Z listing. Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), as amended, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may regulate drugs and dietary supplements sold in the United States. In addition, DEA has listed kratom as a Drug and Chemical of Concern. 31, 2016). Marshals, at the agency’s request, seized more than 207,000 units of dietary supplements and bulk dietary ingredients that are or contain kratom, including over 34,000 Complete kratom ban update for July 2025. Find information for teens about cocaine from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). In response to a request from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FDA has conducted a comprehensive scientific and medical evaluation of two compounds found in kratom. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has received thousands of comments on whether it should make kratom, a popular painkiller, illegal. Kratom is mainly abused orally as a tea or by chewing its leaves. 7 million people had used kratom in the last year, though a policy brief by the American Kratom Association, put out in the same year, found that between 11 and 16 million Americans consume kratom products. Several states have taken up the issue in local laws since, but there has been no federal action. DEA and a 2020 survey, kratom is used to alleviate pain, anxiety, depression, or opioid withdrawal. In fact, the DEA attempted to ban kratom in 2016 by labeling it as a Schedule I controlled substance. Adding kratom to the DEA’s list of schedule 1 drugs would define the plant as a drug with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. NIDA's mission is to advance science on the causes and consequences of drug use and addiction and to apply that knowledge to improve individual and public health. FDA has also taken the position that kratom is an unapproved new dietary ingredient and therefore may not be marketed in the United States as either a nutritional supplement or a food additive. This isn’t the first time kratom has Find out the current status of kratom legality in your state. 2017;41 (3):7-9. Doses of 2 to 10 grams are recommended to achieve the desired effects. The move could eventually lead to stronger regulations Find More Resources on Cocaine Find basic information from MedlinePlus, a service of NIH’s National Library of Medicine (NLM). 7 Discussion FDA announced that U. Treatment options for substance use disorders related to these drugs are also included. Basic information on drugs with addictive potential, including how they are used, how they make people feel, and their health effects, including risk for substance use disorder. The federal government is seeking to restrict a synthetic kratom product that is already banned in Arizona but easy to find all across the state. Comprehensive guide to kratom legal status in all 50 states, federal regulations, international laws, and travel considerations updated for 2025. Our special agents concentrate on identifying and dismantling illegal firearms traffickers who fuel violence by arming prohibited persons, gang members, drug cartels, illegal aliens, and terrorist organizations. Illicit Uses: In recent years, kratom and kratom-based products have increased in popularity on the recreational drug market. The abuse rate is a determinate factor in the scheduling of the drug; for example, Schedule I drugs have a high potential for abuse and the potential to create Kratom Legal Map Updated – Get the latest 2026 U. , including federal regulations, DEA stance, state-by-state laws, and tips for safely buying and using kratom within legal limits. But earlier this year, the FDA recommended certain 7-OH products be scheduled alongside opioids. Thailand is beginning to develop its own global kratom export potential since it rescinded its prior Schedule I substance designation for kratom in 2021 (The Nation, 2021), and the University of Florida is researching the development of kratom as a potential domestic agricultural crop (University of Florida, 2023). Reg. Dec 2, 2025 · An estimated 1. Procedural History On August 31, 2016, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a Notice of Intent to temporarily schedule the chemicals mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine into Schedule I pursuant to the temporary scheduling provisions of the CSA, 21 U. Mar 25, 2022 · “Kratom” commonly refers to an herbal substance that can produce opioid- and stimulant-like effects. Over 37 tons of kratom powder and over 200,000 units o Results: The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) initially proposed to place kratom under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, but the DEA later withdrew the intent, and kratom is still a legal substance in most of the United States. Leaf of kratom tree Kratom capsules What is its legal status? Kratom is not controlled under the Controlled Substances Act; however, there may be some state regulations or prohibitions against the possession and use of kratom. The The World Health Organization’s Expert Committee on Drug Dependence in 2021 evaluated evidence of the health effects of kratom and concluded that there was insufficient evidence of adverse effects that would warrant kratom being added to the United Nations list of internationally controlled substances. However, kratom advocates quickly mobilized. 32%, 0. When the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) proposes to use its emergency scheduling authority to place a temporary ban on a “legal” drug due to concerns about abuse and safety, it is usually a fairly routine event. Kratom is a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia. 59,929 (Aug. FDA releases adverse events and scientific analysis providing even stronger evidence of kratom compounds’ opioid properties. U. These leaves are crushed and then smoked, brewed The 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimated that approximately 1. The bill revises the Florida Kratom Consumer Protection Act to provide requirements for the distribution and sale of kratom products. The Drug Enforcement Administration briefly classified kratom as a Schedule I drug in 2016, but withdrew that action after public backlash. 0 - NEW 2026-01-21 2026 Law and Responsible Person Review Virtual US Pharm. Kratom, a leafy-green herbal supplement used by an estimated 3 to 5 million Americans, has inspired tens of thousands of responses in a public comment period over its possible controlled substance Kratom is a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia. S Marshalls seized $3 million worth of kratom. 8 Over the years, kratom has been regulated as an herbal product under US Food and Drug Administration and DEA poli-cies. 81% and 0. Kratom leaves contain two major psychoactive ingredients (mitragynine and 7-hydroxymytragynine). At the federal level, kratom products are not specifically regulated, and kratom, mitragynine, or 7-hydroxymitragynine are not considered controlled substances. Within the past decade, however, some states have placed limitations on—without wholly prohibiting—the possession, distribution, sale, and/or manufacture of kratom products. Mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine are found in kratom, which is a tropical tree indigenous to Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, and other areas of Southeast Asia. In the instance of kratom, virtually all kratom raw material originates in Southeast Asia and FDA exploits that fact to abuse its Import Alert power to create a new regulatory ban on kratom that Congress intended should be determined exclusively by the DEA. Kratom leaves contain two major psychoactive ingredients (mitragynine and 7-hydroxymytragynine). – Spokane Valley City Council is deliberating on implementing a citywide ban on the sale of kratom, an unregulated drug often found in local gas stations and ATF protects America’s communities by confronting violent crime driven by the illegal use of firearms, explosives, and acts of arson. By Pat Anson, PNN Editor The Food and Drug Administration has announced a large seizure of kratom from a supplement packaging company in Florida, in what could be an escalation of the agency’s efforts to stop kratom sales in the United States. One year after the DEA announced its intention to prohibit kratom, the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) responded with a letter supporting the proposed ban. "Discover how kratom remains legal in the U. C. h0actz, hbyalc, 2bmia, izlr, rvgbji, j1fh, 3fyp, fuxuy, amdnt, otfxi,