Empowering Adults with Clear Kratom Facts
Find straightforward answers to your top questions about kratom regulation in California.
What is kratom?
Kratom is a botanical product from southeast Asia where it has been used in traditional medicine for pain relief, energy, and to help persons struggling with addiction. It has been available in the United States since the 1970s, first imported by service members returning from Vietnam, often to treat service-related injuries and illness.
It is consumed in Asia as tea or leaves are chewed during physical labor. In the west, it is often drank as tea, consumed as leaf powder with other beverages, in capsules, in tinctures or “shot” products, gummies, or in other finished beverage products. It cannot be smoked, vaped, or used intravenously.
It has become increasingly available as a dietary supplement and is used for people to manage acute and chronic pain, to help with workouts and physical therapy, and in some cases to replace prescription medications for anxiety, depression, or other mental health conditions.
It is also being used by patients who have lost safe-access to their Rx pain medication, for persons struggling with addiction to opioids, and for persons with problem drinking, who have found that it helps with with the conditions leading to their use (prescribed or illicit) or for withdrawal when these medications are abruptly stopped.
NIDA, an agency of the US National Institutes of Health, has recently approved human trials for using kratom compounds for the treatment of opioid use disorder.
Is kratom safe?
Kratom has been used for centuries in traditional medicine in southeast Asia. Millions of Americans use kratom to varying degrees of frequency and dose.
However, a person should talk to their medical or naturopathic doctor before starting any health regimen, especially for individuals taking prescription medications or who are otherwise in poor health.
No product is appropriate for all persons, for all health conditions, or combinations of medications.
General information about known interactions.
Kratom for Healthcare Providers [12 pages, cited].
Who uses kratom?
Kratom is used by adults of all walks of life, for reasons discussed earlier.
Current research as of 2025 indicates approximately 9.1% of Americans (24 million) use kratom in varying amounts.
Advocate stories from California.
Consumers discussing their use in a recent article in The Guardian.
I saw concerning media about kratom…
Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation about kratom often due to inflammatory click-bait journalism, outdated information, and in some cases poor medical and forensic practices.
The FDA recently concluded a Single Ascending Dose study, where subjects were given 12 grams of commercially available botanical kratom (several times the recommended serving size) within a 5 minute period and their results indicated no deviation from the placebo group and no adverse event beyond nausea and vomiting.
According to the CDC, kratom deaths are rare, and almost always occur as a result of poly-substance abuse.
“In CDC SUDORS data from 27 states, July 2016–December 2017, kratom was detected in 152 of 27,338 overdose deaths, or 0.56%. CDC noted that most kratom-positive deaths involved other substances, and only seven had kratom as the only substance detected, though other substances could not be ruled out.”
What is 7-OH? Mitragynine pseudoindoxyl? MGM-15?
7-hydroxymitragynine (“7-hai-droxy-mit-rah-guy-neen”, also called 7-HMG, 7-OH, or “Seven”) is a compound that can occur in trace amounts in the kratom plant once the leaves have been harvested and are drying. The amounts it occurs in are inconsequential. Similarly, small amounts may form during metabolism in the body, but this amount is mediated by the dominant mitragynine compound.
Most states that regulate kratom limit 7-HMG levels to 2% by alkaloid fraction, where it is usually less than 0.010% by weight, from 2019 to present.
Beginning in 2021, and accelerating in 2023, companies began producing semi-synthetic forms of 7-OH that astronomically exceed the levels that occur in leaf material or extracts manufactured with food grade solvents.
These high 7-OH products bear little resemblance to the natural product used in traditional medicines and in the west for decades. They are also often poorly manufactured and can contain unknown contaminants, levels of 7-OH greatly exceeding labeling or in some cases significantly less than the label.
The US Food and Drug Administration has recommended to the US DEA that these products be made Schedule I – having a high potential for abuse and no approved medical purpose, while clearly differentiating them from botanical kratom.
The American Kratom Association, representing consumers and product manufacturers, has issued consumer warnings about these products masquerading as kratom (example list).
Mitragynine pseudoindoxyl (“sue-do-in-dox-ill”, or “pseudo’) is a further synthesis of 7-hydroxymitragynine carrying similar risks.
Fully synthetic and derivatives of 7-HMG include the research chemicals MGM-15 and MGM-16, which are being sold in some cases improperly labeled as kratom and have undergone no human study. These products to not occur in nature in any form.
Changes in poison control calls in the wake of these products reaching the market.
Is kratom legal for adult use in California?
Currently, kratom is unregulated statewide, but Regulate California Now advocates for sensible laws respecting adult choice while protecting consumers from dangerously adulterated or mislabeled products, or access by minors.
Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association: Summary of State Laws
How does Regulate California Now promote sensible kratom policies?
We engage policymakers and educate the public to support balanced, science-based regulation.
Can I get involved with Regulate California Now?
Yes! We welcome supporters to join our advocacy efforts and stay informed about kratom legislation.
We also encourage supporters to refer to the American Kratom Association and to sign up for their mailing list, and to view advocacy resources on protectkratom.org, and
We encourage supporters to refer to the Global Kratom Coalition and to sign up for their mailing list.