No, kratom is not legal in Ireland. Both of its active alkaloids, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, are listed as controlled drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2017, which puts kratom in the same enforcement category as heroin and cocaine. Possession is a criminal offence, and supplying or importing it can carry life imprisonment.
What the Law Actually Covers
Schedule 1 of Statutory Instrument No. 173/2017 names both kratom alkaloids and extends the ban to “any product, whether natural or otherwise, including any plant or plant material of any kind or description, which contains any proportion of the said substance.”1Irish Statute Book. S.I. No. 173/2017 – Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2017 That wording captures raw leaves, powder, capsules, extracts, teas, and anything else containing even a trace of either alkaloid.
The regulations sit under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977. Section 3 makes it an offence to have a controlled drug in your possession without authorization.2Law Reform Commission. Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 – Section 3 There is no exemption for personal use, no exemption for therapeutic intent, and no exemption for kratom you bought legally in another country.
Penalties If You’re Caught With Kratom
Simple possession is charged under Section 3. The penalty depends on where the case is heard:
- On summary conviction in the District Court: a class C fine of up to €2,500, up to 12 months in prison, or both.3Law Reform Commission. Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 – Section 27
- On conviction on indictment: a fine at the court’s discretion, up to seven years in prison, or both.3Law Reform Commission. Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 – Section 27
One point catches people off guard. The Adult Cautioning Scheme, which lets Gardaí issue a formal caution instead of prosecuting certain first-time offenders, applies only to cannabis and cannabis resin. Kratom is not eligible. A first offence with a small amount still goes through the courts.
Penalties for Selling or Supplying
Having kratom with intent to sell or supply it to others is a separate, more serious offence under Section 15.
- On summary conviction: a class C fine of up to €2,500, up to 12 months in prison, or both.4Citizens Information. Drug Offences
- On conviction on indictment: life imprisonment or a shorter term, a fine, or both.3Law Reform Commission. Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 – Section 27
The stakes rise sharply once the market value of the kratom reaches €13,000. At that point the offence falls under Section 15A, which carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison. A court can only go below 10 years if it finds “exceptional and specific circumstances” justifying a lower sentence.5Law Reform Commission. Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 – Section 15A The maximum is life.3Law Reform Commission. Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 – Section 27
Valuation matters more than it might sound. In one reported Irish case, Gardaí valued 1 kg of kratom at €20,000, which the defendant challenged in the High Court as a “massive overestimation.”6The Irish Times. Action Brought Over Garda’s Massive Overestimation of Controlled Drug Kratom’s Value Kratom has no settled street price in Ireland, so the figure attached to a seizure can decide whether a defendant faces discretionary sentencing or the mandatory 10-year floor.
Ordering Kratom Online From Abroad
Having kratom shipped to an Irish address from an overseas vendor is an importation offence. Section 15B creates a specific offence for importing controlled drugs with a market value of €13,000 or more, with the same mandatory 10-year minimum and life maximum as Section 15A. The statute states that the prosecution does not need to prove you knew the value of what you imported reached that threshold.7Law Reform Commission. Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 – Section 15B
Revenue officers do intercept kratom parcels. In one Shannon Airport operation, officers seized over 1 kg of kratom from a package sent from the Netherlands and valued it at €20,000.8Revenue Irish Tax and Customs. Revenue Seize Drugs at Shannon Airport Smaller imports still expose you to prosecution under other provisions of the Misuse of Drugs Act. There is no safe quantity.
Bringing Kratom Through an Irish Airport
Kratom bought legally in another country becomes an illegal controlled drug the moment it enters Ireland.9gov.ie. Travelling into Ireland from Schengen Countries with Prescribed Narcotics and/or Psychotropic Substances That applies to checked luggage, carry-on bags, and items in transit through an Irish airport on the way to somewhere else.
The U.S. State Department warns American travelers that Ireland enforces its drug laws strictly and that bringing prohibited substances into the country can result in “fines, arrest, or detention for long periods of time.” Kratom’s unscheduled status at the U.S. federal level offers no protection under Irish law, and the same holds for travelers arriving from Southeast Asia or from EU countries where kratom is unregulated.