During a visit to the convenience store, customers expect to find shelves stocked with snacks and sugary drinks. But in recent years, a different product has emerged: 21+ beverages infused with kratom, a plant-based supplement with mood boosting opioid-like effects.
As kratom rises in popularity around Boulder and the rest of the country, some experts argue it is an accessible way to treat chronic pain and opioid withdrawal, while others warn the substance carries dangers of its own — including addiction.
Opioid-like effects
Kratom, also known as mitragyna speciosa (in the coffee family), is a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia whose leaves can be chewed, made into tea or used as powder for capsules. The 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health Annual National Report found about 1.7 million people used kratom in the past year. In 2022, the number rose to 1.9 million.
During his seven years at The Root Kava Co. in Boulder, general manager Tekoa Williams has also noticed an increase in demand.
“When the bar first opened, there were times when nobody would come in during the day; you could take a nap on the couch,” Williams said. “That’s definitely not the case now. You’ll see people pack it at almost any time of the day.”
David Kroll, a professor and program director at CU Anschutz Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, has studied kratom for eight years. He’s also noticed its rise in popularity during the past 12 to 18 months. He describes it as “not exactly a drug, but not exactly a food.”
“It’s not like marijuana,” Kroll said. “It doesn’t get you high or change your perception of time. It more so gives you a sense of happiness and well-being.”
Natural doesn’t always mean safe
Kratom is sometimes promoted as an aid for withdrawal from opioid addiction. But the plant itself can be addictive.
“For the very same reasons that it can help people get off opioids, the positive effects are pretty reinforcing,” Kroll said. “They can make people physically dependent.”
In July 2024, a Colorado bill for kratom regulation went into effect. Most notably, it limited sales and consumption to people over 21. It also prohibited selling kratom mixed with other controlled substances, like alcohol.
But Kroll still worries users will mix it with cannabis or alcohol, which can suppress breathing.
“It makes me worry that people think just because it’s natural that it’s going to be safe,” he said. “Nothing could be further from the truth. Anytime you put together two types of suppressing drugs that work on the brain, you run the risk of having trouble with breathing.”
Among other risks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cautions users of serious adverse events, including liver toxicity, seizures and substance use disorder.
Caution warranted
Because of its similarity to opioids, pain is a commonly cited reason for daily kratom use. A study published in 2025 in the Journal of Pain found that nearly half of their participants met the criteria for chronic pain; 69.2% shared that they had difficulties in obtaining adequate pain treatment.
Williams, for example, uses kratom as a daily alternative to coffee. He says it helps with pain from skateboarding and improves his focus.
Kroll has empathy for the folks using kratom. The onus, he believes, should be on regulators, but individuals still need to be careful.
“Our federal and state system is not set up well to handle these kinds of herbal chemicals,” he said. “Kratom should be treated with all the caution and respect that you would have for any other opioid-type drugs. My personal feelings are my professional feelings: I’ve studied the science long enough and have been around to cultivate compassion. We have so much control over opioids that a lot of people are suffering in pain without having access to medicine. It’s an unfortunate symptom of where the U.S. healthcare system is: People with pain and addiction go undertreated.
“People do need to have access to medicines that help them, even if they’re imperfect.”