Is Kratom Legal in Canada? The Rules, Explained Simply
Yes. You can buy kratom in Canada and you can own it. Nothing about that is against the law. But there is a second part, and most sellers skip it. It explains why every honest Canadian seller labels their product the way they do. Both halves are below, in plain words. This is not legal advice — it is just what the rules say.
The two-sentence answer
Kratom is not a controlled drug in Canada. It is not on the list that sits under a law called the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. You can buy it, own it, and have it posted to you inside Canada.
But Health Canada has not approved it for eating or drinking. Not as a food, not as a health product, not as a medicine. No company in Canada has that approval. That is why it is sold as a botanical specimen instead.
What is kratom?
Kratom is the common name for Mitragyna speciosa. It is a tree in the coffee family. It grows in Southeast Asia, especially in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. First, growers pick the leaves. Then they dry them and grind them into a fine powder.
In Canada, however, sellers offer kratom as a botanical specimen. So it is for research and craft use, not for eating or drinking.
What this means for you
The rules here are for sellers, not for customers. Buying kratom for yourself is not an offence, and you are not doing anything wrong by having it at home.
What you should expect from a proper seller is a product labelled as a botanical specimen, no health claims anywhere on the site, and no dosage advice. A seller who does the opposite is breaking the rules. That means health claims, dosage advice, or kratom sold as food. It is worth knowing before you trust that seller with anything else.
What this means for sellers
Because there is no approval, no seller in Canada can market kratom for eating or drinking, promise it will help with anything, or present it as a remedy.
Health Canada has published warnings about kratom and has acted against sellers who market it for eating or drinking. The leaf itself is not banned. It is the marketing that draws attention.
What Health Canada has actually done
Health Canada has not authorized any product that contains kratom. So far, its actions have targeted kratom products sold as health products.
- On June 26, 2017, Health Canada seized “Jupiter” and “Kratom Zone” kratom products from two stores in Edmonton, Alberta (advisory RA-63746).
- On May 4, 2018, it seized “Sāj” kratom powders and capsules from two more stores in Edmonton (advisory RA-66710).
In both advisories, Health Canada said three things:
- It is illegal to sell a health product in Canada without its authorization.
- Unauthorized kratom products may pose serious health risks.
- People should not swallow or inhale them.
However, Health Canada did not ban the leaf itself. Instead, the seizures were about how stores sold the products.
The short answer is that kratom in Canada is legal to buy and to own. It is legal to sell as a botanical specimen, and it is not legal to sell as food or as something to swallow.
Why kratom has no NPN or DIN
Health products that Health Canada has authorized have an eight-digit number on the label:
- a Drug Identification Number (DIN),
- a Natural Product Number (NPN), or
- a Homeopathic Drug Number (DIN-HM).
Kratom has none of these, because Health Canada has not authorized any kratom product.
Also, you can check any number yourself in Health Canada’s Drug Product Database or its Licensed Natural Health Products Database. If a kratom product says it has an NPN or DIN, look it up before you believe it.
What Health Canada says about health risks
Specifically, Health Canada’s advisories say unauthorized kratom products may pose serious health risks. News stories, like a 2017 CBC report from Edmonton, have also talked about kratom during Canada’s opioid crisis. In that story, researchers said there is not enough evidence either way.
For this reason, we do not make any health claims about kratom, good or bad. If you have a health question, please ask a doctor or pharmacist, not a seller.
What Canadian research says about kratom
Only a few studies have looked at kratom in Canada. Here are two of them, in plain words:
- Calls to the BC poison centre (CMAJ Open, 2022): researchers looked at calls about kratom to the BC Drug and Poison Information Centre from 2012 to 2019. They found 32 cases, and the number of calls rose from 0 in 2012 to 9 in 2019.
- Websites that sell kratom (Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 2021): researchers rated the information on 51 websites that sell kratom to people in Canada. Overall, they rated its quality as poor.
We do not make health claims, so we don’t sum up what kratom does. However, both studies are free to read online: the BC poison centre study and the kratom websites study.
Is it different in my province?
The provinces follow the same federal rules on the substance itself.
Quebec asks for French labels on anything sold to people there. Ontario asks for nothing extra, and neither does anywhere else as things stand. Rules do change, and Health Canada publishes the current position on its own website, which will always be more up to date than any seller’s page — including this one.
Ordering kratom from outside Canada
First, parcels from other countries go through the border. Then the border can hold any health product that Health Canada has not authorized. So buying from a seller that already ships from inside Canada avoids that step. That is why most Canadian buyers order from Canadian sellers.
Kratom laws in other countries
In fact, kratom rules are very different around the world:
- United States: kratom is not a controlled drug at the federal level, and the FDA has not approved it. Some states ban it, including Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin.
- United Kingdom: the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 bans kratom.
- Australia: kratom is a prohibited substance.
- Thailand: Thailand took kratom off its narcotics list in 2021.
- Malaysia: its Poisons Act controls kratom.
So if you travel, check the rules where you are going. Also, do not assume Canada’s rules apply there.
7-OH is a different thing
However, one part of this category really is different. 7-OH is a strong extract made from kratom rather than plain leaf. It is much more concentrated, it has been acted against in several places, and regulators treat it very differently from ordinary kratom powder. We do not sell it. Not extracts, not 7-OH, not in any form. If a seller offers you those next to plain leaf, that is worth knowing before you order.
Could the rules change?
Yes. Kratom’s place in Canada rests on Health Canada’s decisions, not on a law written just for kratom. That could change in three ways:
- a new advisory,
- a change to the list of controlled drugs, or
- new labelling rules.
Meanwhile, Health Canada’s official advisories are the first place to check. They will always be more up to date than any seller’s page, including this one.
What we do about all this
We sell and label everything as a botanical specimen, not for eating or drinking. Also, every batch goes to an outside lab. We make no health claims and give no dosage advice anywhere on this site. This is not a trick or a wink. Instead, it is simply the rule. If you ever see us claim kratom helps with something, we got it wrong — tell us and we will fix it.
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FAQs
Is kratom legal in Canada?
Yes. It is not a controlled drug here. You can legally buy it, own it, and have it shipped to you inside Canada.
Is it illegal to sell kratom in Canada?
Selling the leaf is not illegal. Selling it for eating or drinking is, because Health Canada has not approved it as a food, health product or medicine.
Will I get in trouble for buying kratom?
No. The rules are for sellers, not customers. Buying it for yourself is not an offence.
Can I order kratom online in Canada?
Yes, from within Canada. Ordering from another country risks the package being held at the border, which is why most Canadian buyers use Canadian sellers.
Has Health Canada approved kratom?
No. It is not approved as a food, a health product or a medicine. No Canadian company holds that approval today.
Is kratom legal in Ontario?
Yes. Ontario follows the federal rules and adds nothing extra.
Is kratom legal in Quebec?
Yes, on the same basis. Quebec also asks for French labels on anything sold there.
What does botanical specimen mean?
It means the product is sold for research and craft use, like soap making. Not for eating or drinking.
What is 7-OH and is it legal?
7-OH is a concentrated extract, not plain kratom leaf. Regulators treat it very differently and it has been acted against in several places. We do not sell it in any form. Our guide to kratom extracts in Canada explains the difference.
Where can I check the official rules?
Also, Health Canada publishes its position directly. Rules change, so an official source will always be more current than any seller page, including this one.
Does kratom have an NPN in Canada?
No. No kratom product has a Natural Product Number (NPN) or a Drug Identification Number (DIN), because Health Canada has not authorized any product that contains kratom.
Has Health Canada seized kratom?
Yes. In 2017 and 2018, it seized kratom products from Edmonton stores because they were selling them as health products. Then it published an advisory about each seizure.
Is kratom legal in British Columbia and Alberta?
Yes, because every province follows the same federal rules. The Alberta seizures in 2017 and 2018 were about stores selling kratom as a health product, not about people owning it.
Can I bring kratom into Canada from another country?
It is risky, because the border can hold health products that Health Canada has not authorized. So ordering from a Canadian seller avoids this.
Is kratom legal in the United States?
It is not a controlled drug at the federal level. Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin are among the states that ban it.
Is there research on kratom in Canada?
Yes, but only a little. For example, a 2022 study looked at calls about kratom to the BC poison centre, and a 2021 study rated the information on websites that sell kratom to people in Canada.