Is Kratom Legal for Military Service Members?

Unfortunately, the Department of Defense (DoD) prohibits military service members from using kratom. The federal government agency banned active military personnel from consuming kratom as early as 2014, describing the herb as an intoxicating substance.

In this article, I will look in-depth at why kratom is banned in the military, the likelihood of getting caught, and whether the DoD might relax its position in the future. 

In May 2014, the Goodfellow Air Force Base site (an official U.S. government website) published an article stating that kratom is prohibited for military members.

Air Force rules prohibit the use of intoxicating substances (except for alcohol and tobacco) by military members. Kratom use is chargeable as an offense under Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. It doesn’t get much clearer than that.

This is where things get murky. Even though kratom is banned for active military personnel, it is unclear whether the DoD actually tests for it.

An archived article on the Schriever Space Force Base website (a U.S. government website) provides some intriguing insight. It notes that kratom will not produce a positive result on a routine DoD drug test, but that kratom is still banned for military service members.

Testing for kratom is tricky. Mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, the primary compounds in kratom, are indole alkaloids. While similar to opiates, indole alkaloids are a unique group of compounds that have not traditionally been tested for.

Remember that kratom did not come to the U.S. until the 1990s and has only become really popular over the past decade. Historically, there was simply no incentive to test for the herb’s indole alkaloids. And standard drug tests have not yet evolved to cover these compounds.

Let's consider the facts. Kratom is prohibited for military personnel, and it is technically possible to test for the substance, even though routine tests appear not to check for it. But if it came to light that you had been taking kratom, it would still be possible for the DoD to prove so.

I have seen several reports of kratom users who have produced false positive drug tests for opiates. There are various potential culprits, including poor-quality drug tests and low-grade kratom.

The kratom industry is unregulated, making it difficult to quantify the risk of a false positive. Buying from a reputable vendor and brand with third-party lab results and American Kratom Association certification is a good way of limiting your exposure to bad products.

And this matters for two reasons. Sure, you want to avoid a false positive. But using sketchy kratom products can also jeopardize your well-being. Consuming contaminated or adulterated kratom could make you sick, or worse. 

I doubt it. Active military personnel are subject to stricter rules on substances than civilians. Even if future evidence shows that kratom is beneficial, the DoD will likely hold firm on its position that kratom is intoxicating and unsuitable for military service members.

I know it's frustrating, but the bottom line is that kratom is banned for military service members. Whether you will get caught is another matter, given the testing situation.

But if you are pulled up for having kratom in your system, the Department of Defense will have you bang to rights. If you are an active member of the military, taking kratom is not worth the risk.