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If someone is difficult to wake, is not breathing normally, is having a seizure, or is unresponsive, call 911.
1-800-222-1222. Poison Control, around the clock, for a reaction that worries you or a question about a product you are holding.
988. The crisis lifeline, anywhere in the United States, by call or text.
Treatment. The federal treatment locator, findtreatment.gov.
Two things stated once. Kratom is not a treatment for opioid use disorder or for opioid or kratom withdrawal; the medicines with an evidence base for opioid use disorder are buprenorphine, methadone and naltrexone. And every clinical question this page raises belongs with a clinician rather than with us.
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Read by an AI voice. The numbers in the box above are read aloud near the start. The table of what each service says is on the page rather than in the audio.
Checked October 19, 2026. This page covers what the routine Defense Department drug testing panel lists, when a command can request testing beyond it, and what each service's own order or manual says about kratom. Quotations were read in the named documents, except where a news outlet is named.
Who wrote it, and what we sell. GRH Kratom, which sells kratom and kava products to the public: kratom leaf powders and capsules, liquid kratom extracts and shots, kratom extract tablets, and kava drinks, including kava drinks that contain kratom. We sell only to adults 21 and over. The Defense Department memo targets "products made or derived from kratom", so the orders reach every product we sell that contains kratom, those kava drinks included. We offer no military or veteran discount, and this article links to no product. If a line here is wrong, tell us.
Next review January 19, 2027, or sooner if the Defense Department adds kratom to its routine drug testing panel.
Does the military test for kratom? Not on the routine urinalysis, as far as the published panel shows. The Defense Department's published drug testing panel, in DoD Instruction 1010.16, does not list kratom, mitragynine or any other kratom alkaloid, and no document we found adds it. That is the narrow answer. The wider one matters more: every service now prohibits kratom use, and commands can request kratom testing outside the routine panel. The Coast Guard's general order lets commands request a test "when probable cause exists that a member ingested kratom." The Army says Soldiers who test positive for kratom will be referred for a substance use disorder evaluation.
So a negative routine test is not permission. The orders prohibit use itself, whether or not any test ever finds it, and a violation is a failure to obey a lawful general order under Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).
Below are the documents behind that answer, gaps marked, and near the end, the help the services name for members who have used kratom. And because we sell kratom, one thing up front: the orders cover every kratom product we sell.
Does the military test for kratom on a routine urinalysis?
The rules sit in DoD Instruction 1010.16, "Technical Procedures for the Military Personnel Drug Abuse Testing Program", effective June 15, 2020, and amended by Change 1 on August 22, 2025. Paragraph 4.9.a places "The DoD-authorized panel of drugs to be routinely tested" in its Tables 2 and 3.
Table 2 names the classes. Amphetamines, designer amphetamines included. Benzodiazepines. Marijuana and synthetic cannabinoids. Cocaine metabolites. Five groups of opioids, fentanyl among them. Kratom is not there, and neither is mitragynine, nor any of the "smaller quantities of other alkaloids" that the Defense Department's own kratom memo says the leaves contain.
One caution. The panel "may be updated by memorandum" (paragraph 4.20.a(1)), so the printed tables can lag behind it. Psilocin is the example: the Coast Guard's May 2026 order calls it "now a part of the Department of War Drug Testing Panel", yet the Change 1 tables do not list it. (Department of War is a second name for the Defense Department, adopted by executive order in September 2025, so both names mean the same department.) So the accurate sentence is a narrow one. The published panel does not list kratom, and no Defense Department or service document we found adds it.
How a routine result is reached: the laboratory screens each specimen first, confirms presumptive positives by "chromatography/mass spectrometry (C/MS)", and reports a positive only for an analyte it was testing for, at or above its cutoff.
When a command can request a kratom test
Off the routine panel does not mean untestable. Paragraph 7.3.b of the same instruction says testing for drugs "other than those routinely tested pursuant to this issuance (i.e., those listed in Tables 2 and 3) may be requested with prior consultation" with the respective legal authority, the testing laboratory's commander, two service program managers and the Director of FORTOX.
That testing is done at a DoD-approved laboratory or at FORTOX, the Division of Forensic Toxicology of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System (AFMES). The Air Force even has a box for it. Its drug testing manual's custody-form instructions carry a special testing code, "O, other drugs (specimen requires testing for the presence of a particular drug)".
Two services put kratom testing in writing. The Coast Guard's general order, ALCOAST 128/26, says: "Commands have the authority to request testing when probable cause exists that a member ingested kratom. Commands must liaise with their servicing legal office." The Army, in a September 22, 2026 article on army.mil from its Directorate of Prevention, Resilience and Readiness, quotes its Army Substance Abuse Program Manager: "Soldiers who test positive for synthetic cannabinoids or kratom will be referred for a substance use disorder evaluation."
What none of these documents gives is a number. We found nothing on how often kratom-specific tests are ordered, or on how many come back positive. Read that as unknown. Unknown is not the same as rare.
Every service now prohibits kratom: the rules, side by side
The Defense Department's orders started at the top. On September 15, 2025, the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness signed a memorandum to the services, posted by the Defense Department's Operation Supplement Safety program, directing them to issue, "By December 31, 2025", punitive general orders "enforceable under Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice". Its stated reason: "Substance misuse by Service members is not only a personal health and safety concern, but it also undermines combat readiness and threatens national security."
The orders were to prohibit "the use of products made or derived from kratom by active duty Service members and members of the Reserve Components." The memo then reaches products "regardless of whether such products may lawfully be bought, sold, or used under applicable civilian law". It says nothing about drug testing. Each service's own rule is below.
| Who | Instrument and date | What it says about use | What it says about testing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense (policy) | Under Secretary's memorandum, September 15, 2025; orders due "By December 31, 2025". | Article 92 orders against "products made or derived from kratom" for active duty and Reserve Components. | Nothing. |
| Department of Defense (testing) | DoD Instruction 1010.16, Change 1 of August 22, 2025. | Not a use rule. | Routine panel does not list kratom; other substances "may be requested with prior consultation". |
| Army | Army Directive 2026-14 (number as listed by Operation Supplement Safety); a memo dated June 23, 2026, according to Stars and Stripes (news); text not verified by us. | army.mil, September 22, 2026: "Army policy prohibits Soldiers from using, possessing or distributing synthetic cannabinoids and kratom." | Soldiers who "test positive" are referred for evaluation (army.mil). |
| Navy and Marine Corps | ALNAV 003/26, Secretary of the Navy, January 14, 2026. | Prohibits "the use, possession, distribution, and/or manufacture" of anything "containing, or derived from, kratom"; Article 92. | Nothing. |
| Air Force and Space Force | DAFMAN 44-197, September 5, 2023. No kratom-specific order found. | Prohibits "Naturally occurring intoxicating substances" and DoD-prohibited ingredients, kratom among them. | Custody form has a special testing code for "other drugs". |
| Coast Guard (Homeland Security, not Defense) | ALCOAST 128/26, general order, May 12, 2026. | Members are "prohibited from possessing, using, distributing, or ingesting kratom or its derivatives". | Commands may request testing on probable cause. |
| Accession testing (applicants) | DoD Instruction 1010.16, paragraph 6.4.a. | No document we read says when the orders begin to bind a recruit. | "the same panel of drugs as the military population", which does not list kratom. |
Navy and Marine Corps. ALNAV 003/26, from the Secretary of the Navy on January 14, 2026, binds Sailors and Marines directly. "Use means to inject, ingest, inhale, or otherwise introduce into the human body." It covers products "naturally derived, semi-synthetic or synthetic", and names Article 92, "Failure to Obey a Lawful General Order". On testing it is silent.
Army. Operation Supplement Safety lists "ARMY DIR 2026-14: Prohibition of Kratom Use", and Stars and Stripes embedded a document filed under the same number. We could not open the directive itself, so we do not quote it, and we have not read its scope or its exceptions. Its date comes from news: Stars and Stripes reported on July 1, 2026 (a news report, not an Army document) that a memo dated June 23, 2026, from the Secretary of the Army "prohibits soldiers from using, possessing or distributing kratom".
Air Force and Space Force. We found no kratom-specific Air Force or Space Force order. The rule we found is DAFMAN 44-197, "Military Drug Demand Reduction Program", dated September 5, 2023, which covers the Regular Air Force, the Space Force, the Air Force Reserve, the Air National Guard and applicants. It prohibits the knowing use of intoxicating substances "to alter mood or function", listing "Naturally occurring intoxicating substances" and substances "found in the DoD Prohibited Dietary Supplement and Ingredient List". Kratom is on that list: Operation Supplement Safety's database, last updated September 3, 2026, returns it as "on the Prohibited List". Stars and Stripes, reporting what the Air Force told it, wrote that "Kratom falls within the Air Force's prohibition against using naturally occurring intoxicating substances".
Coast Guard. The Coast Guard sits in the Department of Homeland Security, so the Defense Department memo did not bind it. Its own general order, ALCOAST 128/26 of May 12, 2026, says "all Coast Guard military members are prohibited from possessing, using, distributing, or ingesting kratom or its derivatives." The Coast Guard's explainer of May 13, 2026 adds: "Although kratom is legal in many states, its use by military personnel is a violation of Article 92 of the UCMJ."
One correction against ourselves. An older page on this site says "Several bases have named kratom in prohibited-substance lists." The documents above show something wider: a Defense-wide memo, and an order or manual in every service. Where our older pages disagree with this one, this one is the dated check.
The kratom orders rely on Article 92, the general-order article
The orders treat kratom use as disobeying a lawful general order. Article 92 of the UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. 892, reaches anyone subject to the code who "(1) violates or fails to obey any lawful general order or regulation". Article 112a, 10 U.S.C. 912a, is the drug article. It covers named drugs such as heroin, cocaine and marijuana, and substances "listed in schedules I through V of section 202 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812)."
Every kratom order we read relies on Article 92. The memo says each order "will expressly prescribe that violations of the order constitute a general intent offense", and the Coast Guard's says its prohibitions "are general intent offenses." The Navy adds "any other UCMJ articles that may apply".
The Coast Guard's message shows the difference on a single page. Psilocin "is strictly prohibited under Article 112a" and is now on the routine panel. Kratom is prohibited by general order (an Article 92 violation, its explainer says), and commands can request a test for it on probable cause.
The orders also carry exceptions, and they are not identical. The memo has each order exempt law enforcement and medical duties, and use "without knowledge that the product was made or derived from kratom", that last one only "where that lack of knowledge is reasonable." The Coast Guard order carries the same three. The Navy's version leaves out "reasonable" and adds: "However, an individual who consciously avoids knowledge of the presence of these substances is subject to the same criminal and/or administrative liability as one who has actual knowledge." We could not read the Army directive's exceptions.
Our advice: do not treat the exception as a plan. The Navy has said in writing that choosing not to know is treated the same as knowing.
What federal scheduling news changes for service members
Very little. Kratom leaf and mitragynine are not federally controlled. Three related compounds, mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15 and MGM-16, have been temporarily in Schedule I since August 26, 2026 (FR Doc 2026-17429). On October 14, 2026, DEA published a notice of intent, 91 FR 65370 (FR Doc 2026-20943), proposing temporary Schedule I for the concentrated minor alkaloid and mitragynine pseudoindoxyl above a threshold, with an order "on or after November 13, 2026". On October 19, 2026, no federal order on the minor alkaloid exists, and the August order remains in effect.
None of that moves the line for someone in uniform. A product legal in your state, or below a proposed federal threshold, is still made or derived from kratom. Whether Article 112a could also reach the three scheduled compounds in a military case is something no military document we read says.
Kava drinks with kratom in them count
This is the route we think is easiest to miss. Some drinks sold under the word "kava" also contain kratom, and we sell several of them. For a service member, a drink with kratom in it is a kratom product. The Navy's order reaches "any substance, product, compound or item containing, or derived from, kratom". The Coast Guard's reaches "all products containing mitragynine".
The agencies name drinks outright. Operation Supplement Safety, the Defense Department's supplement-safety program, lists "beverages (such as drink mixes, seltzer, and soda)" among kratom's forms, and the Coast Guard lists "Teas and other beverages". Operation Supplement Safety also warns that a label may give the ingredient as "kratom", "Mitragyna speciosa", "mitragynine" or "mitragynine pseudoindoxyl", among other names.
And a label is only a label. The Navy's order warns: "Unregulated products may contain labeling inaccuracies, such as the product ingredients or concentrations, resulting in increased health and safety risks." That warning names no exceptions, and we do not claim one for our own products.
Our advice: if you are on active duty or in a Reserve Component, do not use kratom in any form while these orders bind you, and that includes every kratom product we sell. Read the ingredient list on anything sold as kava; if kratom, Mitragyna speciosa or mitragynine is on it, the orders cover it. We found no service document naming kava itself and did not check Operation Supplement Safety on kava, so we make no claim about kava alone.
Recruits and MEPS: the same panel as everyone else
Applicants are tested on the routine panel. DoD Instruction 1010.16, paragraph 6.4.a: "All urine specimens will be tested for the same panel of drugs as the military population." When an applicant tests positive, the Commander of USMEPCOM "Notifies applicants of positive test results, encourages the applicant to seek treatment, and provides them with a list of appropriate resources."
So the applicant test is the routine panel, and the routine panel does not list kratom. That is as far as the instruction goes. We found no document saying when the kratom orders begin to bind a recruit, and we are not going to guess.
Our advice: if you are headed to MEPS or basic training, do not plan around the panel. Once the orders apply to you, they apply whatever a test can or cannot see, and commands can request testing beyond the panel.
Reserves, Guard, veterans and families: what the documents do and do not say
Reserve Components and the Guard. The memo is addressed to the "CHIEF OF THE NATIONAL GUARD BUREAU", among others, and covers "members of the Reserve Components". The Air Force manual adds a caveat for the Air National Guard: "Article 92(1) of the UCMJ does not apply to members of the ANG while in Title 32 status (that is, activated for state duty under state command), but ANG members may be subject to an equivalent article under a state military justice code." Our reading: Title 32 status is not an exemption to count on.
We could not verify how the Army directive treats the Army National Guard and Army Reserve, or when off-duty use by a reservist falls under the UCMJ. Those are questions for a lawyer who handles military cases, not for a kratom company.
Veterans, retirees and family members. None of the documents we read mentions them. The orders bind "active duty Service members and members of the Reserve Components" (the memo), "Sailors and Marines" (the Navy), "Coast Guard military members" (the Coast Guard) and Soldiers (the Army). We have not checked VA policy.
Defense Department civilians. An article from Arnold Air Force Base dated April 14, 2026, quoted a base civilian personnel official (DoW stands for Department of War, the same Defense Department): "The DoW has not released updated guidance on kratom usage among civilian personnel".
If you serve and have used kratom: who to ask
The services name their own help. We quote their words rather than promise more.
Army. The Army's September 2026 article points Soldiers to their installation Army Substance Abuse Program office, to Substance Use Disorder Clinical Care, or to their chain of command. It also lists the SAMHSA National Helpline, 800-662-HELP (4357), and the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, with the instruction "Dial 988 and press 1".
Navy and Marine Corps. ALNAV 003/26 says Sailors and Marines who use kratom "or suspect they may have developed an addiction are strongly encouraged to voluntarily seek help." The Navy's Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Program and the Marine Corps Substance Assessment and Counseling Centers "offer confidential services in accordance with reference (c)", DoD Instruction 6490.08. What protection a self-referral carries beyond those words, we have not verified.
Coast Guard. The general order names the District Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist (SAPS) as a point of contact.
Clinical questions belong with a clinician, and in an emergency the numbers at the top of this page come first. For what the agencies say about kratom's risks, our page on whether kratom is safe sets out their words, read by a company that sells it.
Our advice, last and plainest: if the orders bind you, do not use kratom, ours or anyone's. A negative routine test changes nothing about that.
Questions people ask about military kratom testing
Does MEPS test for kratom?
DoD Instruction 1010.16 says applicant urine specimens "will be tested for the same panel of drugs as the military population." That routine panel does not list kratom. No document we found says when the kratom orders begin to bind a recruit, and our advice is not to plan around the panel.
Can my command order a kratom test?
Yes, it can request one outside the routine panel. DoD Instruction 1010.16 allows special testing for other substances, after consultation. The Coast Guard order says "Commands have the authority to request testing when probable cause exists that a member ingested kratom." The Army refers Soldiers who test positive for kratom for a substance use disorder evaluation.
Is kratom allowed for service members in states where it is legal?
No. The Defense Department memo reaches products "regardless of whether such products may lawfully be bought, sold, or used under applicable civilian law". The Coast Guard says: "Although kratom is legal in many states, its use by military personnel is a violation of Article 92 of the UCMJ."
Do kava drinks with kratom in them count under the military ban?
Yes. The Navy order reaches "any substance, product, compound or item containing, or derived from, kratom", and the Coast Guard order reaches "all products containing mitragynine". A kava drink with kratom in it is a kratom product for a service member, including the ones we sell.
Does the military kratom ban apply to veterans or family members?
None of the orders we read mentions veterans, retirees or family members. They bind active duty and Reserve Component members, Sailors and Marines, Coast Guard military members and Soldiers. We have not checked VA policy.
If a line here no longer matches its source, or the Defense Department adds kratom to the routine panel before our next review, please tell us.
Read next: our page on whether kratom is safe, with the agencies' own words on its risks.
Disclaimer: this page summarizes publicly available material as of October 19, 2026, and links to primary sources so you can check them. It is general information, not legal or medical advice, and does not speak for any military service. Statements about botanical products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration, and no product is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
