Millions of working adults — and your constituents.

Kratom consumers in the United States number in the millions, though estimates vary by method: federal household surveys have suggested roughly 1.7–2 million past-year consumers, peer-reviewed analysis concludes there are likely several million, and estimates based on import volume and market data have run substantially higher. By any measure, kratom use is no longer a niche.

Ordinary adults, ordinary patterns

Peer-reviewed research — including real-time daily-pattern studies conducted by federal scientists — finds that most consumers use kratom in the first half of their waking hours, the way others use coffee, with no pattern of weekend or late-night binge use. The most commonly reported reasons are managing pain, sustaining energy and focus, supporting mood, and — for a meaningful subset — reducing or replacing dependence on prescription opioids or other substances. As the researchers summarized, most people use kratom to feel well and function, not to get high.

The people behind the data

They are veterans managing chronic pain and post-traumatic stress. They are nurses, tradespeople, and parents. They are people in recovery who found in kratom a path away from substances that nearly took their lives. Their stories, told in their own words, are collected at AdvocateStory.org — including a dedicated collection of veterans' stories — and they are the reason this organization exists.

For policymakers, the essential point is this: when kratom policy is written, these are the constituents it lands on. A ban does not remove kratom from a state — it removes protection from the people who rely on it.