Is Kratom Legal for Federal Employees?

There is no law or rule against federal employees using kratom, which is not a federally controlled substance. However, whether a federal employee is allowed to use kratom may depend on the area they work in, as well as state law.

This post will cover everything you need to know on kratom use for federal employees, from kratom legality to drug testing reality. Keep reading to learn more.

In general, yes. Neither kratom nor its active compounds are regulated at the federal level. The federal government has not taken action to stop those on its payroll from using kratom, barring one notable exception: the military.

The Department of Defense prohibits kratom use among military personnel. This extends to the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Space Force, and Coast Guard. We can also assume those working in the Army National Guard and Air National Guard are also banned from using kratom.

Click here for more information on kratom use among military service members.

However, this is a specific example and not reflective of the kratom situation for most federal employees. Military members are subject to various strict rules that civilians are not.

Since the federal government has not passed any anti-kratom legislation, it would be difficult - and arguably impossible - to ban kratom for federal employees. However, whether federal employees can realistically use kratom depends on other legal factors.

Let’s take a deeper dive into U.S. kratom law so we can understand its impact on federal employees.

Kratom being federally legal is only part of the story. The federal government may have tried and failed to ban kratom, but six states and swathes of counties, cities, and towns have had more success. And that is bad news for some federal employees.

Kratom is illegal in Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin. Places like Edwardsville, Illinois, and San Diego, California, have also banned the herb. Some local kratom bans are obscure and not well-publicized, so you must be on your guard.

Being a federal employee does not make you exempt from local kratom laws. For example, just because you are employed by the federal government doesn’t mean you can take kratom if you work and reside in Arkansas.

For a full breakdown of U.S. kratom law and how it affects you, click here. 

Given that kratom is federally legal, it is logical to assume that some federal employees use it. There are an estimated two million kratom users in the United States, according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Some of those must be on the federal payroll!

However, even though kratom is a federally legal substance, you may not want your employer to know that you take it. Therefore, it’s natural to wonder whether federal employers test for kratom use. While it may technically be possible to, the overwhelming evidence is that they do not.

Mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-HMG), the main active compounds in kratom, are indole alkaloids. They may work similarly to opioids, but they are in a unique chemical category. And the typical drug tests used by employers cannot detect these alkaloids.

Kratom only came to the U.S. in the 1990s. We hadn’t really encountered these specific compounds before - hence, there wasn’t much reason to test for them. And unless kratom is banned, I do not expect there will be significant interest in making provisions to test for it.

It appears military service members are not tested for kratom, even though the substance is banned. Because the herb’s indole alkaloids cannot be detected by standard drug tests, checking for kratom use is expensive. For most employers, testing isn’t worth the cost or hassle.

But there have been numerous stories of false positive drug tests due to kratom use. This can happen if your kratom product is adulterated or an employer uses a low-quality test with poor sensitivity. In any case, you can have the result sent off for further analysis to get the all-clear.

It should be noted that some drug testing companies have developed tests that can detect mitragynine and 7-HMG. So, if you are in the military and know you are not allowed to use kratom, you may want to keep quiet about your usage. 

For federal employers who know they can take kratom without breaking the law or their contract, the next thing is deciding where to buy kratom. Shopping with a genuine, respected vendor is vital if you want to avoid low-quality and perhaps even adulterated products.

Instead of gas stations and convenience stores, I recommend buying kratom from specialist botanical stores. Kratom-focused retailers cannot risk selling low-quality or fake products, so they are conscious of lab testing and take care to only stock legit brands.

I find buying kratom online cheaper and more convenient. Why travel to the store and hope they have what you want when you can find the perfect product in minutes from your smartphone or laptop? Online vendors tend to stock more kratom strains and product types, too.

Just make sure you are getting an authentic kratom product from a premium brand. You should be able to find a third-party certificate of analysis with purity and potency data for your chosen product. The top brands are also on the American Kratom Association’s list of GMP-qualified vendors. 

That completes this analysis of whether kratom is legal for federal employees! The bottom line: yes, kratom is legal for federal employees. However, some will not be allowed to use kratom due to the law in their state, county, or city, or because they work in the military.