Rising Kratom Use Sparks New Wave of Overdose and Addiction Concerns in U.S.

Poison-center data show a dramatic rise in kratom exposures, climbing from 258 reports in 2015 to a record 3,434 in 2025—a roughly 1,200% increase that early 2026 calls have already exceeded. Medical toxicologist Chris Holstege says kratom’s opioid-like effects can cause sedation, respiratory failure and death, and chronic use may lead to dependence and withdrawal. The plant’s psychoactive component 7-hydroxymitragynine, highlighted by the Texas Department of State Health Services, is linked to severe health outcomes and labeled by the FDA as an emerging opioid threat.

Concentrated kratom products, including drinks marketed to youths, are now common in convenience stores, vape shops and near university campuses. Federal agencies have sent warning letters to several vendors, while Governors Maura Healey and Kim Reynolds have issued emergency orders and public cautions against kratom sales. This surge arrives as overall opioid overdose deaths have declined, raising concerns that kratom could fuel a new phase of the epidemic.