Is Kratom legal in Thailand?
- Legal status
- Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is NOT a controlled narcotic in Thailand — it was removed from Narcotics Category 5 by the Narcotics Act (No. 8) B.E. 2564, effective 24 August 2021, which also expunged prior kratom offences; it is now a lawful, regulated plant under the Kratom Plant Act B.E. 2565 (2022), not prohibited.
- Consequences if caught
- Personal use, possession, cultivation and trade of kratom leaf are lawful; regulatory offences under the Kratom Plant Act attach to selling to minors under 18 and to pregnant women, and to certain mixed/adulterated preparations, rather than to the plant itself.
- If prescribed or medical
- No prescription is required — kratom is a legal plant regulated as a commodity, not scheduled as a medicine; commercial processing and export need a licence under the Kratom Plant Act.
- Documentation
- Travellers may carry kratom leaf for personal use; commercial import/export requires a Kratom Plant Act licence. Mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine are constituents of the now-legal plant and are not separately scheduled.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Thailand’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
Before you travel
Verify current rules with the destination country’s official drug authority and your own country’s embassy before traveling. Find the destination’s U.S. embassy & official country guidance →
Non-U.S. travelers: check your own government’s travel advisory and embassy.
If you’re detained or arrested abroad
Contact your own country’s embassy or consulate in the destination immediately — not the destination’s authorities. U.S. citizens: contact the nearest U.S. embassy/consulate and the U.S. State Department at +1-202-501-4444 (from abroad). If a U.S. citizen is arrested or detained abroad →