Kratom in the UK
Kratom Legal Status
Illegal since March 2016
Law
Where to buy kratom in the UK
As the United Kingdom is not an European Union member State, there is no customs union and, therefore, import is prohibited.
National drug strategy & laws
The UK 2017 Drug Strategy addresses illicit drug problems with two overarching aims: to reduce illicit and other harmful drug use and to increase the rates of people recovering from dependency.
Within the strategy, policies concerning health, education, housing and social care apply to England, those concerning policing and the criminal justice system cover both England and Wales, while the tasks of the Department for Work and Pensions relate to England, Scotland and Wales. A number of powers are devolved to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and each of these countries has its own strategy and action plans.
The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, with amendments, is the main law regulating drug control in the United Kingdom. It divides controlled substances into three classes (A, B and C), which provide a basis for attributing penalties for offences.
Drug use per se is not an offence under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971; it is the possession of the drug that constitutes an offence. The Drug Trafficking Act 1994 defines drug trafficking as transporting or storing, importing or exporting, manufacturing or supplying drugs covered by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
Temporary class drug orders were introduced through the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 to allow a faster legislative response to new psychoactive substances (NPS) supply offences. In 2016, the Psychoactive Substances Act criminalised the production, supply or possession with intent to supply of any psychoactive substance (with some exemptions) if it is known that it is to be used for its psychoactive effects.
National treatment policy
Drug strategies from across the United Kingdom identify treatment as being effective in tackling problem drug use and seek to improve its quality and effectiveness. Coordination and integration across a range of service providers are seen as key to helping problem drug users integrate into society.
Substance misuse services are commissioned by local authorities in England, by local health boards in Scotland, by community safety partnerships in Wales and by drug and alcohol coordination teams in Northern Ireland. Each of these commissioning bodies receives advice and input from a number of other organisations, including Public Health England, the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland, voluntary organisations and the police. Contracts to deliver drug treatment services are often held by third-sector organisations (i.e. registered charities).
Drug treatment in the United Kingdom encompasses a range of available treatments and services, including community-based prescribing, community one-to-one and group-based psychosocial interventions to support recovery, inpatient treatment, day programmes and quasi- and full-time residential drug treatment and rehabilitation support.
Opioid substitution treatment (OST) remains the most common treatment in the United Kingdom for opioid users and is mainly offered through specialist outpatient drug services, commonly in shared care arrangements with general practitioners. The enabling legislation for OST is the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001, and treatment can be initiated and provided by general practitioners, specialised doctors and treatment centres. Oral methadone is the most commonly prescribed drug for OST, although buprenorphine has also been available since 1999. Prescribed injectable methadone and diamorphine are also available in England but are rarely provided.
Hi i would like to buy some seeds, is this possible, from you?
We are only an informative website. We don’t sell any products. Good luck 🙂
it says the uk status is illegall, I would assume that goes for seeds too
Exactly, the seeds of Mitragyna speciosa are also illegal in the UK.
Hi,
I take Kratom for migraines, it is the only thing that works. If I travel to the UK from the US, this means I cannot travel to London with it? Even in small amounts? Thanks for any help on this.
Hello Mary,
Kratom possession is not legal in the UK. Therefore we don’t recommend you to have it with you when arriving from an international flight.
Regards.
Ok, thank you.
Is the pharmaceutical industry on top of kratom because it is better than anything they’re producing for many people to manage their lives?
As the law says, the issue lies within supplying the substance and not using it.
The other issue AFAIK is that there has not been a clear definition or list what is defined as a psychoactive substance
If I wanted to ship kratom to a friend in Scotland, would customs destroy it?