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Abstract
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BACKGROUND: Reports of kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) use, a medicinal plant widely found in Southeast Asia, are on the rise in the US. However, the prevalence and characteristics of individuals who use kratom in the US is unknown.
OBJECTIVE: To estimate lifetime prevalence of, and descriptive characteristics associated with, kratom use in a sample of the US general population.
METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was administered online by Qualtrics® research panel aggregator. Utilizing quota-based sampling, data was collected from a US sample aged 18-59 years, representative to age, geographic region, ethnicity, income, and education level. Data was collected regarding respondent demographic/clinical characteristics, as well as frequency/patterns of kratom and other drug use.
RESULTS: Among 1,842 respondents, 112 (6.1%) reported use of kratom within their lifetime. Respondents who used kratom were largely between 25-44 years old, male, employed, and at higher educational levels. A total of 24.1% to 47.3% of respondents indicated self-reported diagnoses for addiction, and 42.9% reported having previously received treatment for addiction. A total of 71.4% to 92% of respondents who used kratom also reported use of other drugs, including nicotine, cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, methamphetamine, and heroin.
CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this analysis provides the first estimate of kratom use in the general US population, providing insight on demographic/clinical characteristics of individuals reporting use.
Language: en |