The DEA Is Cracking Down on Kratom. This Time, Some Advocates Are on Board

Late last week, the federal government announced a decision set to affect the millions of Americans who use kratom and kratom-related products.

The Drug and Enforcement Administration, on the advice of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, is planning to revise its definitions of when a kratom-based product can be considered a schedule 1 controlled substance, with a particular focus on outlawing synthetic kratom derivatives. It’s the latest development in a long-running debate over the safety and potential benefits of kratom, one that has been marked by recent high-profile deaths and reports of injuries tied to these products.

After years of protests and legal battles, however, the government’s new plan might finally establish a safe middle ground for people who use kratom to help manage health problems like substance use disorders, some advocates hope.

“We are absolutely supportive of banning or scheduling these synthetics,” Mac Harrow, senior fellow on public policy for the American Kratom Association (AKA), told Gizmodo.

Kratom is the name given to the leaves of the tree Mitragyna speciosa . It’s a complex substance with dozens of different alkaloid compounds that can interact with the body in various ways. Some of these compounds can activate the same mu opioid receptors in our brain as classic opioids like morphine do, particularly at higher doses, while at lower doses, kratom provides more of a stimulant-like effect. The primary active ingredients in natural kratom are mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), though the latter only accounts for around 2% of the total alkaloid content.

While people have used kratom as a herbal remedy for fatigue or other ailments since at least the 19th century, its popularity has significantly increased in the U.S. as of late. According to nationally representative survey data, an estimated 1.7 million Americans aged 12 and older used kratom in 2021. In a study earlier this May, researchers at the University of Michigan found that roughly five million Americans have used kratom at least once in their lifetime, including more than 100,000 children ages 12 to 17. Kratom use also seems to have continued rising since 2021.

Kratom proponents have argued that it can be used to safely manage chronic pain or as an alternative and more accessible treatment for substance use disorders, particularly for opioids . Mitragynine and 7-OH are partial agonists of the mu-opioid receptor, and there is evidence they can activate these receptors without causing the serious, potentially life-threatening side effects seen with classic opioids such as respiratory depression (slowed or stopped breathing).

Because of this, many people are using kratom as a form of replacement therapy to wean off other drugs that have a high potential for abuse.