A national study led by a professor at the University of Michigan finds kratom use rising in the United States and connected with addiction and mental health problems. Published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, the research used National Survey on Drug Use and Health data gathered from 2021 to 2024 and is the first known national analysis of kratom use patterns and their association with mental health and substance use disorder.
Key findings show more than 5 million US residents report lifetime kratom use, including over 100,000 children ages 12–17. The share of people aged 12 and older reporting lifetime use rose from 2021 to 2024. Adults aged 21–34 reported the highest use. Many people who have used or currently use kratom also have a substance use disorder, report cannabis use, and experience serious psychological distress or major depression. The authors emphasize the data are cross-sectional and do not prove causation.
Federal agencies have warned about risks: the FDA has not approved kratom for medical use and the DEA has flagged it as a drug of concern. Some products, including those that contain 7-OH (7-hydroxymitragynine), can be five to fifty times more potent than regular kratom and are sometimes marketed as legal morphine. The findings support policy measures to limit children's access and call for better addiction and mental health treatment. Researchers also note kratom is likely under-reported in clinical settings because it does not show up on standard drug tests, and state rules vary across the country.
- Study published in Journal of Addiction Medicine
- Data from 2021–2024 national survey
- More than 5 million lifetime users
- Call for policy and treatment changes
Difficult words
- addiction — chronic dependence on drugs or substances
- cross-sectional — study of data at one time point
- causation — a relationship where one thing causes another
- lifetime — reported or measured during a person’s lifelifetime kratom use, lifetime users
- potent — having strong physical or chemical effect
- under-report — not fully recorded or reported by peopleunder-reported
- clinical — related to medical care or health settingsclinical settings
- policy — official rules or plans by authoritiespolicy measures
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- What policy measures could reduce children's access to kratom, based on the study?
- How might kratom not appearing on standard drug tests affect diagnosis and treatment?
- What further research would help determine whether kratom causes mental health problems or only occurs with them?
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