There are only a handful of countries which have banned kratom, sadly including many of those it is indigenous to.
Kratom is a controlled substance in the following countries:
- Australia
- Bhutan
- Finland
- Lithuania
- Malaysia
- Myanmar (Burma)
- Thailand
The severity of punishments varies greatly from country to country. In Thailand, being caught with one ounce of kratom is punishable by death, although in practice a fine or prison sentence is more likely. Thai law also prohibits the plating of any new kratom trees and states that any existing trees should be removed. Whereas in Australia, possession of kratom is illegal although growing it is not.
Groups in Malaysia and elsewhere are lobbying for their governments to allow medical research into kratom for use in various treatments.
In the US, kratom features on the DEA's list of 'drugs and chemicals of concern'.