Health
Clinics report sharp increase in patients seeking treatment for kratom dependence
Addiction providers are seeing more patients experiencing kratom and 7-OH withdrawal, according to STAT.
The short version
- Telehealth provider Boulder Care saw new patients reporting kratom use jump from 3% in September 2025 to 14% in August 2026.[STAT]
- A Massachusetts treatment network saw weekly admissions linked to kratom or 7-OH rise from around one patient to between 10 and 20.[STAT]
- Federal survey figures show lifetime kratom use rose to around 5 million people between 2019 and 2023, while poison center reports expanded over the last decade.[STAT]
- An epidemiology researcher noted that accounts from treatment providers may reflect sampling bias rather than broader population trends.[STAT]
Key facts
- At Boulder Care, new patients reporting kratom use increased from 3% in September 2025 to 14% in August 2026.[STAT]
- Two Massachusetts inpatient facilities operated by Recovery Centers of America saw admissions tied to kratom or 7-OH rise from about one weekly last year to 10 to 20 weekly.[STAT]
- Federal survey data shows that lifetime kratom use increased from around 4 million to 5 million people from 2019 to 2023.[STAT]
- U.S. poison center reports concerning kratom exposure grew from 258 to 3,434 over the course of a decade.[STAT]
What remains uncertain
- Epidemiology researcher Katherine Hill noted that testimonies from addiction treatment centers might reflect sampling bias.[STAT]
- Boulder Care's medical leadership theorized that recent legal restrictions limiting access could be driving the withdrawal cases, though this remains an unproven hypothesis.[STAT]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.