A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, based on 2015-2025 National Poison Data System data, found an increase of approximately 1,200% in kratom-related exposure reports (from 258 to 3,434), including a marked surge in 2025.

The details:

• During the past 11 years, poison centers received a total of 14,449 kratom exposure reports.
• Most reports involved males and young adults 20-39, but reports among adults 40-59 increased most sharply, with rates nearly overlapping with those among young adults by 2025.
• Multiple-substance exposure reports were linked to the most severe clinical outcomes. Single-substance exposure reports accounted for 62% of reports, but multiple substance reports occurred at higher rates, were associated with more hospitalizations and serious outcomes, and accounted for the vast majority of kratom-related deaths.

What’s next: Ongoing surveillance could help to identify high-risk patterns of use and guide public health education and clinical care, particularly for multi-substance use.