Is Mitragynine legal in Canada?
- Legal status
- Neither mitragynine nor kratom is scheduled under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act: mitragynine, the principal alkaloid of kratom, shares the plant's non-CDSA status (personal possession is not criminal), and Health Canada instead treats kratom as an unauthorised natural health product whose sale is prohibited under the Food and Drugs Act.
- Consequences if caught
- No CDSA penalty attaches to the alkaloid; unauthorised sale of kratom is restrained under the Food and Drugs Act, not the CDSA.
- If prescribed or medical
- No authorised kratom or alkaloid product exists in Canada; sale for human consumption is prohibited.
- Documentation
- No CDSA import controls apply to the alkaloid; personal possession is not criminal, but commercial sale is barred.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Canada’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 →