US Poison Center Kratom Calls Jumped 1,200% From 2015 to 2025

Why it matters

The data give regulators and clinicians the clearest national picture yet of rising kratom-related harm, and they point specifically at synthetic derivatives like 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) rather than the raw leaf as the driver.

The big picture

Kratom exposure calls to US poison centers have been climbing for a decade, but the analysis shows a sharp inflection point in 2025 that tracks the growing availability of concentrated 7-OH products sold in gas stations and smoke shops. Researchers say the trend supports treating leaf kratom and synthetic derivatives as distinct regulatory categories rather than lumping them together.

Key findings

• National Poison Data System logged 14,449 kratom exposure reports between 2015 and 2025
• Annual reports rose roughly 1,200%, from 258 in 2015 to 3,434 in 2025
• The steepest increase came in 2025, coinciding with wider retail availability of semisynthetic 7-OH products
• 7-OH is currently proposed for federal control as a scheduled substance
• University of Virginia Health researchers link the spike to high-risk combinations involving synthetics rather than plain kratom leaf

What they say

"This evidence is essential to promoting safe kratom use, identifying high-risk combinations of substances, and guiding public health action to prevent future health effects in this rapidly evolving drug landscape," University of Virginia Health researchers said.

Bottom line

**Poison center data show the recent surge in kratom harm tracks synthetic 7-OH products, not the traditional leaf, bolstering the case for regulating them separately.**