Time for a ban? Seventeen dead in Czechia of Kratom-related intoxication last year

Experts are ringing alarm bells. The number of deaths related to kratom use is on the rise in Czechia as is the number of emergency calls to minors who collapse after using it. The prime minister has ordered the creation of an interministerial working group to address the problem.  

Paramedics|Photo: Eva Malá, Czech Radio

According to health data, 17 young people died of kratom overdose or kratom-related intoxication in the Czech Republic last year. The number of young people using the psychomodulatory substance and the number of emergency calls relating to kratom use has significantly increased. Emergency services report hundreds of calls a year.  Prokop Voleník, a paramedics spokesperson, says that this is only the tip of the iceberg.

“We are called to cases where there is already a life-threatening condition due to intoxication, there must be hundreds of others where people just feel very sick and the risk is also high. The problem with kratom is that in higher doses it can suppress the respiratory center—the person stops breathing, leading to cardiac arrest and the need for resuscitation,” Voleník explains.

Kratom|Photo: Alexis Rosenzweig, Radio Prague International

Experts and the government have already weighed the risks and responded to it once. The authorities stopped short of banning kratom, merely tightening the rules on sales. As of 2025, the substance may only be sold in specialized licensed shops to people over 18. However many teenagers are curious to try it and it is not hard to acquire.

“I tried it. I didn’t feel awful afterwards, but I can’t say I felt really great either. I felt very hot and a bit dizzy. I think it’s probably more for someone looking to relax, it didn’t really relax me much. Afterwards, I felt quite sleepy,” says one high school student about his experience with kratom.

Psychiatrists dealing with kratom addiction among minors and people under 20 say the number of cases is rising. Jakub Albrecht says the notion that kratom is harmless is completely false.

“The problem with kratom is that young people consider it a natural substance, which is not true. Kratom creates a heroin-type addiction.  I see very young people who take several grams of kratom daily, and after just one day without it, they already experience withdrawal symptoms.”

Lubomír Šlapka|Photo: David Hertl, Czech Radio

Addiction specialist Lubomír Šlapka, warns especially against combining kratom with alcohol or medicines.

“The biggest risks with kratom are in combination with powders, pills, and especially alcohol. These are the cases we have been encountering recently. Taking kratom with alcohol always spells big trouble,” says Šlapka.

Neither Šlapka nor psychiatrist Albrecht support a total ban on kratom sales, arguing that it would only boost its sale on the black market.

Pavel Bém|Photo: Office of Czech Government

National drug policy coordinator Pavel Bém agrees and says the main task for the interministerial working group is to impose strict control over the sale of the substance.

“Fifty years of experience with prohibition has shown us that bans do not work for any addictive substances. Once something is banned, it moves onto the black market, where it is simply uncontrollable. The inspections we made show that licensed shops are complying with the law and do not sell kratom to children or minors. What the authorities need to do right now is effectively suppress its sale on the black market.”