Aliso Viejo, Calif.-based Laguna Treatment Center, a provider of addiction and co-occurring disorder treatment, is warning about rising kratom use and dependence after reporting a sharp increase in patients seeking treatment for the substance. The treatment center said the trend aligns with national data showing increases in kratom-related exposures and hospitalizations.
Kratom is an unregulated substance derived from the leaves of the Mitragyna speciosa tree, which grows in Southeast Asia. The substance can produce stimulant effects at low doses and opioid-like effects at higher doses, according to Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic’s website.
Here are three things to know:
- Kratom admissions increased at the facility. At Laguna Treatment Center 25 patients sought treatment for kratom dependence in the first five months of 2026. That figure represented a 525% increase compared to the four patients who sought treatment for kratom dependence at the facility in all of 2025, according to a June 4 news release from the center.
- National exposure reports have also risen. A 2026 study published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found that kratom-related exposure reports increased by more than 1,200% between 2015 and 2025.
- Hospitalizations linked to kratom exposure increased. The study found that kratom-only exposure hospitalizations rose 1,200%, while hospitalizations involving kratom exposure and multiple substances rose 1,300% during the same period.
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