Soldiers assigned to the 4th Infantry Division and other units conduct a half-mile run during a newcomers physical training event on Fort Carson, Colo., on June 4, 2026. (Tyler Ewing/U.S. Army)
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army has banned the use of the drug kratom and related products, underscoring an existing Defense Department directive across the military.
A memo dated June 23 from Army Secretary Dan Driscoll prohibits soldiers from using, possessing or distributing kratom or its primary psychoactive components, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine.
Soldiers who are identified as having used kratom will be referred for a substance use disorder evaluation and will be required to attend and complete the Army Substance Abuse Program, or ASAP, and Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Training.
Kratom is an herbal extract sourced from the leaves of an evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia. At low doses, it acts like a stimulant. At higher doses, it acts like a sedative and a pain reliever used by consumers to self-treat a variety of ailments, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The Defense Department, in a Sept. 15 memorandum, declared the use of kratom a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, effective Dec. 31, according to the DOD’s Operation Supplement Safety website.
The DOD said its directive was issued to protect the health, safety and readiness of service members, noting that mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine were considered by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration as potential Schedule I substances due to their abuse potential and serious health risks.
“These substances, which mimic opioid effects, pose serious risks and impairment, potential for overdose, and can have long-term health consequences,” a Pentagon official said in an email at the time.
The DOD also noted that kratom and its components, often sold as teas, capsules, vapes and gummies, and marketed as natural remedies, have not been approved as safe and effective by the Federal Drug and Food Administration.
All sailors and Marines are prohibited from using products containing kratom and related products, Secretary of the Navy John Phelan announced Jan. 14 in an All Navy message.
Kratom use may constitute a failure to obey a lawful general order under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and result in administrative or disciplinary action, he added.
Kratom falls within the Air Force’s prohibition against using naturally occurring intoxicating substances and as such is banned even though not specifically listed in the service’s manual, the Air Force said in an email to Stars and Stripes in January.
The Coast Guard banned kratom in May.
