Which States Have Banned Kratom in 2026?

Which states banned kratom? As of late 2026, eight states ban kratom outright — Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Indiana, Louisiana, Tennessee, Vermont and Wisconsin — plus Kansas effective July 1, 2026, and Washington, DC. In every one of them, possession and sale carry genuine legal consequences, and ordering online is not a workaround: carriers and vendors decline to ship into ban states. Here is each ban state, when it acted, and what the law actually says.

The original wave: 2014–2016

• Indiana (2014) — the first state to act, listing kratom’s alkaloids under its synthetic-drug law.
• Wisconsin (2014) — classified mitragynine itself as a Schedule I controlled substance, a classification repeal bills have repeatedly failed to shift.
• Alabama (2016) — SB226 made kratom alkaloids Schedule I.
• Arkansas (2016) — added kratom to the state controlled substances schedule.
• Vermont (2016) — banned by Board of Health administrative rule rather than statute.

The second wave: 2025–2026

• Louisiana (August 1, 2025) — SB 154 placed kratom’s alkaloids in Schedule I; possession penalties reach five years. The ban followed a 2023 regulatory framework that had briefly made Louisiana a KCPA-style state.
• Connecticut (March 25, 2026) — HB 6855 scheduled mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine as Schedule I.
• Kansas (July 1, 2026) — HB 2365, signed April 2026, classified the alkaloids as Schedule I, with a product disposal deadline and no possession grace period.
• Tennessee (July 1, 2026) — Public Chapter 950 (“Matthew’s Law”) made knowing possession a Class A misdemeanor and manufacture or sale generally a felony, replacing Tennessee’s earlier 21+ regulatory framework.

The District of Columbia has long prohibited kratom sales as well.

The one reversal: Rhode Island

Rhode Island — a ban state since 2017 — became the first state ever to reverse course, with a regulated-legal framework taking effect in April 2026. It is the clearest signal that the legal map moves in both directions. The full national picture, including KCPA states and 7-OH restrictions, is in kratom laws by state.

What a ban actually means for a consumer

1. Possession is an offense — typically misdemeanor-level, but real, and enhanced when sale or intent to distribute is involved.
2. Online orders into ban states are refused — our store policy prohibits shipping to banned and restricted jurisdictions.
3. Local bans exist inside legal states — Sarasota County FL, San Diego County CA, Denver CO (human-consumption ban) and Jerseyville IL are the classic examples.
4. Traveling with kratom across state lines into a ban state creates possession there — see traveling with kratom.

Watch-list: states with active legislation

Michigan (ban bill passed the House, March 2026), South Carolina, Georgia, Washington, Illinois, Maryland and West Virginia all carried restrictive bills in the 2025–2026 sessions, while more states adopted KCPA-style regulation — the approach described in what is the KCPA. Verify your state before ordering, every time.

Related reading

• Kratom laws by state — the complete 2026 map.
• The FDA and kratom — the federal layer.
• Is kratom legal in Florida? — how 7-OH changed a legal state.

Legal information only — not legal advice. Statutes change; confirm current law for your jurisdiction before purchasing or possessing kratom. Adults 21+ only.