Kratom Remains Legal Federally and in Most States Despite Rising Death Reports and Legislative Push to Ban It
Kratom, an opioid-like drug widely available at gas stations, convenience stores, and online retailers, remains legal at the federal level and in most states. The deaths of two University of Mississippi students potentially linked to synthetic kratom have renewed calls for bans. The number of kratom-related poison control reports more than doubled from 2024 to 2025, according to CDC data.
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The deaths of two University of Mississippi students in September, potentially linked to synthetic kratom, brought renewed legislative attention to the drug, which the Drug Enforcement Administration lists as one of its "drugs of concern" but has not moved to schedule at the federal level.
A Washington Post analysis of state legislation identified more than 400 kratom-related bills introduced in state legislatures since 2015, with a notable increase in recent years. Of those bills, 108 would ban kratom or its related chemicals outright, while 258 would establish regulations such as age limits, licensing requirements, and potency limits — or would ban only synthetic forms while keeping natural kratom legal.
Twenty-five states introduced bills to ban kratom in 2025 and 2026, many targeting the synthetic version linked to the Ole Miss students' deaths. However, fewer than one in five of the kratom-related bills analyzed passed; several remain pending. The Post used an AI classifier to categorize the bills by type.