Is Kratom Banned in the Military? UCMJ Penalties and Exceptions

Yes, kratom is banned in the military. A Department of Defense memorandum issued September 15, 2025, prohibits every active duty and reserve service member from using, possessing, distributing, or manufacturing any product containing kratom or its active compounds, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine. The prohibition took effect December 31, 2025, and violations are punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.¹

What the Ban Covers

The prohibition is broader than most service members expect. It covers kratom in every form, whether naturally derived, semi-synthetic, or synthetic, and applies regardless of concentration or how the product is marketed. Capsules, powders, teas, extracts, and any product containing even trace amounts of mitragynine or 7-hydroxymitragynine all fall under the ban.¹

There is no off-duty carve-out. The ban applies whether you’re on base, on leave, or at home for the weekend. “Use” is defined as injecting, ingesting, inhaling, or otherwise introducing the substance into the body, so topical products absorbed through the skin are also off limits.¹

Every branch has issued its own implementing order. The Navy and Marine Corps rolled out ALNAV 003/26 on January 14, 2026. The Army enforces the prohibition through Army Regulation 600-85 and has published Criminal Investigation Division alerts specifically identifying kratom as prohibited conduct.² The Air Force and Space Force cover kratom under Department of the Air Force Instruction 44-121, updated in September 2025.³ If your branch has added stricter requirements on top of the DoD baseline, the stricter rule controls.⁴

Civilian Legality Does Not Protect You

Kratom is not a federally controlled substance. The DEA lists it as a “Drug and Chemical of Concern” but has not scheduled it under the Controlled Substances Act.⁵ You can buy it legally in most states, sometimes at a gas station down the road from base. None of that matters in uniform. The DoD memorandum states the prohibition applies “regardless of whether such product may lawfully be bought, sold, or used under civilian law.”¹

The FDA has taken a harder position than the DEA, warning consumers not to use kratom because of risks including liver toxicity, seizures, and substance use disorder. The FDA treats kratom-containing dietary supplements as adulterated and has flagged contamination with Salmonella and heavy metals in commercial products.⁶ Kratom was already on the DoD Prohibited Dietary Supplement Ingredients List through the Operation Supplement Safety program before the 2025 memorandum made the prohibition punitive.⁷

Punishment Under the UCMJ

Kratom use is prosecuted as a failure to obey a lawful general order under UCMJ Article 92.¹ The maximum authorized punishment is a dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and confinement for two years.⁸ That is the ceiling, not the floor. What actually happens depends on your command, the circumstances, and whether you have prior offenses.

In practice, consequences fall along a spectrum:

Non-judicial punishment under Article 15 is the most common outcome for a first offense. Depending on the imposing commander’s rank, penalties can include reduction in pay grade (up to two grades for enlisted above E-4), forfeiture of up to half a month’s pay for two months, extra duties for up to 45 days, and restriction.⁹
Court-martial is reserved for aggravated cases, repeat offenses, or situations involving distribution. A conviction can bring confinement, a punitive discharge, and a federal conviction on your record.
Administrative separation can be initiated even without a court-martial. The characterization of your discharge, whether honorable, general, or other-than-honorable, affects your access to VA benefits, the GI Bill, and future employment.

Distribution or manufacture can bring additional charges beyond Article 92. The Navy and Marine Corps order specifically notes that “any other UCMJ articles that may apply” can be added to the charge sheet.¹

How Service Members Get Caught

Kratom does not appear on the standard military drug testing panel. Routine urinalysis screens for marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, opioids, benzodiazepines, PCP, and synthetic cannabinoids. Mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine are not on that list. Plenty of service members read that fact and assume they’re safe. They aren’t.

Commanders can authorize specialized testing when they have reasonable suspicion of substance misuse, and after incidents or accidents that suggest impairment. Those tests use mass spectrometry and can detect kratom’s primary alkaloids in urine for roughly seven days after last use. DoD Instruction 1010.01 gives commanders broad authority to order testing and refer service members for further action based on the results.¹⁰

Testing is only one way you get caught. Packaging found in your barracks room, a shipment intercepted at a mail center, a statement from another service member, or your own admission during a substance abuse screening can all open an investigation. Careers have ended over kratom without a failed urinalysis anywhere in the file.

The Three Narrow Exceptions

The policy carves out three exceptions. You’re not in violation if kratom exposure occurred during legitimate law enforcement activities, if authorized medical personnel used or administered it in the course of medical duties, or if you genuinely did not know a product contained kratom or its derivatives.¹

The knowledge exception is narrower than it sounds. The policy states that someone who “consciously avoids knowledge” of kratom in a product faces the same liability as someone who knew. Buying an unmarked supplement from a source known for selling kratom-laced products would not qualify. The ignorance has to be real.

What to Do If You Currently Use Kratom

If you have kratom products, get rid of them. If you’ve been using kratom for pain management or another reason, talk to your military healthcare provider about alternatives before this becomes a disciplinary matter instead of a medical one. The Navy’s implementing order directs service members experiencing problems with addiction to contact their branch’s substance assessment and counseling resources.¹

Check your supplements, too. Kratom and its alkaloids have turned up in products that don’t prominently advertise them on the label. The Operation Supplement Safety website maintains an updated list of prohibited dietary supplement ingredients and can help you verify whether something you’re already taking could end your career.⁷

1
United States Navy. ALNAV 003/26 – Prohibition of the Use of Kratom, Mitragynine and 7-Hydroxymitragynine Products
2
Army Criminal Investigation Division. Crime Prevention Alert – Kratom: A Lethal Threat in Disguise
3
Department of the Air Force. Department of the Air Force Instruction 44-121 – Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Program
4
Health.mil. DOD Policy Guidance on Substance Misuse
5
Drug Enforcement Administration. Kratom
6
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA and Kratom
7
Operation Supplement Safety. Kratom and 7-OH: Significant Risks to Health
8
Joint Service Committee on Military Justice. Manual for Courts-Martial Part IV – Punitive Articles
9
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 U.S. Code 815 – Art. 15. Commanding Officers Non-Judicial Punishment
10
Department of Defense. DoD Instruction 1010.01 – Military Personnel Drug Abuse Testing Program