The State of Montana has no law in place at present that clearly bans the use of kratom. However, some local bodies are trying to make it illegal but they yet have to bring it out in basic black and white.

The DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) intended to ban kratom in 2016 but it did not work well for them. They wanted to place kratom in the Schedule I category of drugs like heroin, LSD, cocaine, etc. They cited a few overdose drug deaths that showed up kratom but ignored other substances used in such cases.

The pro-kratom lobby fought against it and the DEA in the same year in October 2016 withdrew their intent to ban kratom. They however placed kratom under surveillance and started studying the various effects of kratom on the human body before taking any further steps.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration or FDA in February 2018 released a press announcement that provides details of some of the scientific tools and research about kratom’s potential for addiction, abuse and health consequences, including death.

This study had checked the proposed opioid withdrawal properties of kratom, any adverse health effects including seizures, respiratory issues and depression and the opioid like substances in it. They felt confident to term kratom as another opioid based on their computer model called Public Health Assessment via Structural Evaluation (PHASE) methodology.

This report also discussed the 44 known deaths associated with kratom use and further advised consumers against using kratom due to its potential for abuse and its possible lethal effects. Their conclusion was that they found no evidence to clearly suggest that kratom is safe to be used.

And then in May 2018, some of the kratom products that were contaminated with Salmonella caused an outbreak in several states. This further instigated the FDA to warn companies dealing with kratom to issue a recall of their products until better laws are written for the kratom industry.

However, the states are still the final authority on the use of kratom within state boundaries and in Montana it is at present still legal. This does not mean that in the near future they might not have a bill to ban it but is only a space in time where no law exists for kratom.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH) in May 2019 brought forth another study. This report does not mention kratom in particular but gives a more overall picture of all drugs that are used in the state for pain relief and other areas of health concern. The report points out that there has not been any significant change in Montana over the last several years in the rate of deaths due to drug overdose.