Kratom brands in vape shops across the US

Authors

• Cassidy R. LoParco, George Washington UniversityFollow
• Kayla K. Tillett, University of North Texas Health Science CenterFollow
• Carla Berg, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington UniversityFollow
• Matthew E. Rossheim, University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort WorthFollow

Abstract

Kratom may pose some health risks (e.g., liver toxicity, seizures, dependence), and interstate commerce is federally illegal; however, kratom is sold widely in the US. The extent of interstate commerce is unclear, but may be indicated by brands present across states/territories. Thus, this study examined kratom brands sold in US vape shops. Using Google Maps, we identified vape shops in all 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico. Stores were called in November/December 2023. To achieve our target sample of 520 (n=10 per state/territory), 661 stores were called (contact rate=78.7%). Kratom was sold in 372/520 shops (71.5%), of which 153 (41.1%) provided brand information. Among 129 brands reported, OPMS was sold in 90.20% of shops across 42 states/territories, Remarkable Herb in 34.64% across 30 states/territories, and MIT 45 in 33.33% across 31 states/territories. Interstate brand presence indicates likely violations of federal laws and the need to strengthen regulation and enforcement.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

Recommended Citation

LoParco, Cassidy R.; Tillett, Kayla K.; Berg, Carla; and Rossheim, Matthew E. (2026) "Kratom brands in vape shops across the US," Health Behavior Research: Vol. 9: No. 1.