Los Angeles Times Investigation: 14,449 Kratom Calls to U.S. Poison Centers Over a Decade; 2025 Was Record Year

Why it matters

The LA Times analysis is the first major California-focused examination of the national poison center data, revealing that California accounts for roughly 10% of national kratom-related poison center calls. The data provides critical evidence for ongoing state and county-level kratom regulation debates in California.

The big picture

California has been at the forefront of local kratom regulation, with Los Angeles County banning sales in November 2025 and San Mateo County following suit. This investigation contextualizes the national CDC data with California-specific findings, and examines how the rise of concentrated 7-OH products has driven hospitalizations to record levels. Two high-profile California deaths — including a chess grandmaster and the daughter of a former L.A. school superintendent — have intensified scrutiny.

Key findings

• Between 2015 and 2025, U.S. poison centers received 14,449 kratom-related calls — a 1,200% increase from 258 calls in 2015 to 3,434 calls in 2025
• 2025 accounted for 23% of the entire decade's call volume, the highest single-year total on record
• Hospitalizations for adults experiencing adverse effects from kratom alone rose from 43 in 2015 to 538 in 2025
• For people taking kratom in combination with other substances, serious outcome hospitalizations grew from 51 to 725 over the same period
• There were 233 kratom-related deaths over the 10-year period; 184 involved multiple substances
• California's Poison Control System handled approximately 900+ calls in the same period, roughly 10% of the national total

What they say

"It's accelerating, which I think is one of the main points of the report," said Rais Vohra, medical director of the California Poison Control System. Pharmacist William Eggleston added: "Undeniably there is an increase in calls related to kratom."

Bottom line

**With 23% of the decade's kratom poison center calls occurring in a single year — 2025 — the trend shows no sign of plateauing, and hospitalizations linked to kratom are rising sharply alongside it.**