Poison control cases related to kratom have gone way up since 2015, according to Science Daily. The University of Virginia Health found that an increase of kratom-related reports jumped to over 1,200% in the past decade, along with an increase in hospitalization. There were only 258 cases in 2025, which is now 3,434 cases in 2025.
MSN reports that Gov. Maura Healey (D-Massachusetts) is cracking down on the sell of kratom in her state. The commissioner of the state’s Department of Public Health issued an emergency order that temporarily designates kratom as a Schedule 1 substance, those with high abuse potential.
Massachusetts is not the only state to take action as 14 other state have either banned or “scheduled” it and 23 state are setting age restrictions.
Dr. Chris McCurdy from the University of Florida College of Pharmacy has studied the compound for over 20 years. He joined Fox & Friends to talk about the substance.
"It's a naturally occurring tree that grows in Southeast Asia, primarily in Malaysia and Thailand, where it's been used for centuries by the locals or the indigenous people to help them work outdoors, bear the tropical heat and humidity and perform a little bit better," McCurdy explains.
What was formerly a leaf product, he said, is now much more.
"Over time, that leaf has been supersized, if you will, in the United States, and it's been converted into extracts, concentrated products. All of these are still clumped as just kratom,” McCurdy says. “Just in the last couple of years, there's been semi-synthetics or synthetic products introduced into the marketplace that are even more potent and riskier and more dangerous."
In some gas stations, he noted that kratom is next to the five-hour energy drinks or in a locked case. It's also found in smoke and vape shops.
