North Dakota Health Brief Reports 261 Kratom and 7-OH Emergency Events Through August 2026

Why it matters

The state report gives clinicians and policymakers recent, local data on emergency visits, withdrawal, and fatalities involving kratom and related products.

The big picture

North Dakota HHS combined emergency-department syndromic surveillance, poison-center reports, and overdose fatality data. The report cautions that voluntary reporting and coding limitations mean the figures do not represent every exposure.

Key findings

• The report identified 261 adverse ED events involving kratom and/or 7-OH from 2021 through August 25, 2026.\nSide effects accounted for 33.7% of visits and withdrawal/detox for 28.0%.\nThe brief identified 24 unintentional overdose deaths involving kratom or related compounds from 2019 through June 2026.\nPolysubstance use appeared in 87.5% of the identified fatalities.

What they say

North Dakota HHS authors conclude that kratom-related adverse events, poisonings, and unintentional fatalities have increased, while noting important limitations in surveillance and toxicology data.

Bottom line

**North Dakota’s 2026 surveillance shows rising adverse events while highlighting the uncertainty of incomplete, polysubstance-involved data.**