At this time kratom is a controlled substance in Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Bhutan, New Zealand, Australia, Finland, Denmark, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden. Several states in the United States consider kratom illegal, and they include: Wisconsin, Indiana, Arkansas, Alabama, Vermont and Rhode Island. Several cities have also enacted bans on kratom including: Washington, D.C.; Sarasota, FL.; Denver, CO.; Alton and Jerseyville, IL.; and Union City and Columbus, MS. The state and city wide legislation of kratom is constantly changing, so it is important for the consumer to check on all legality issues before purchasing kratom and products that contain kratom. Click here for a legality map and more detailed information.
Much of the legislation on kratom is also complicated by the exact wording of the bills themselves. Some are only written to ban Mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, the two main alkaloids in kratom, and this causes legal confusion over wether whole leaf ground kratom should be considered illegal or not. Many see bans such as those as only pertaining to the isolated alkaloids and not the raw plant form.