Reports to American poison centers involving kratom climbed from 19 in 2010 to 1,242 in 2023, and the number of those reports involving life-threatening effects, lasting disability or death rose from zero to 158, according to an analysis of national poison data published in the journal Addiction by a team at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
The numbers matter because kratom is not a fringe product. It is sold openly at gas stations, smoke shops, and convenience stores across most of the country as a powder, capsule, shot, gummy, or flavored drink, often marketed for energy, pain, or help getting off opioids. Many people who buy it do not think of it as a drug at all, and the poison center record suggests a meaningful share of them end up needing medical care.
