Kratom has been sold in vape shops for decades, but it hasn’t been sold in vapes for nearly as long.
The range of kratom products and formulations has rapidly grown in the last few years. Kratom vape pens are now popping up in smoke shops across the U.S.
It’s important to know that companies are selling these kratom vapes despite the fact that no one has thoroughly tested them for safety or effectiveness. So before you try a kratom vape pen, you should understand its potential beneficial and harmful effects, and take a few precautions.
- What Are Kratom Vapes?
- Kratom Vape Ingredients
- Effects of Smoking/Vaping Kratom
- How Kratom Vapes Can Be Dangerous
- Deceptive Vape Company Marketing Exposed
- Kratom Vape Reviews
- Vape Legality
- Harm Reduction Strategies
Can You Vape Kratom? Can You Smoke Kratom Leaves?
The simple answers to the questions “can you vape kratom?” or “can you smoke kratom” are yes. In fact, people have been smoking kratom for many decades.
In a 1906 publication, botanist Leonard Wray wrote about how people in Malaysia occasionally smoked kratom resin in combination with shredded palm leaves. And in the past few years, many companies have started selling kratom vapes and kratom vape juice.
Nevertheless, the long answers to these questions are much more complicated. Just because you can smoke or vape kratom doesn’t necessarily mean the practice is safe or effective.
What Are Kratom Vapes?
Vaping kratom involves inhaling a vaporized extract of kratom alkaloids. Kratom vape products come in a few different forms, including e-liquids, pre-filled cartridges, and disposable vape pens. The options are similar to what you’d see for Delta-9 THC and other cannabinoids.
Kratom Vape Juice Ingredients
Most companies that sell kratom vapes online tell you very little about what is in them. Some say they contain 100-1000mg of kratom. They are likely using a kratom alkaloid extract, but the particular kind (and the ratio of various alkaloids) is unclear.
- Typical Kratom Vape Pen: The liquid in vape pens (also known as e-liquid, vape liquid, or vape juice) commonly contains a mixture of propylene glycol (PG) or vegetable glycerin (VG). In a standard disposable kratom vape pen, you can assume that the active ingredients in kratom—including alkaloids like mitragynine—are extracted from the kratom leaf and infused into the PG/VG liquid base. This liquid is then placed in a cartridge and heated in a vaping device.
- Multi-Substance Kratom Vape Pens: Some kratom vape pens contain more than just the active alkaloids found in kratom leaves. For example, a brand called Feel Goo’d (sometimes called Feel Good) makes a Goo’d Extracts Disposable Kratom Vape Pen that supposedly contains a mixture of hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) and kratom extract.
- Vape Pens Labeled as Kratom that Don’t Contain Any Kratom Alkaloids: There are numerous reports of brands and smoke shops selling disposable kratom vape pens that have effects that closely resemble THC and other cannabinoids. There are likely many vaping devices that brands are marketing as kratom-derived which don’t contain any compounds found in the kratom plant.
Effects of Smoking or Vaping Kratom
Do kratom vapes work? Does e-juice provide the same effects as other types of kratom? The answers vary a lot depending upon the product and the consumer. There isn’t a lot of consistency in the market when it comes to kratom vape pens. Here are the general benefits and drawbacks people mention:
Reported Benefits:
- Speed: Proponents of vaping kratom suggest the method offers a faster and more discreet way to experience kratom’s effects. They can thus avoid preparing or ingesting large quantities of powder.
- Similar effects to other formulations: Many users report that vaping kratom extract provides quick relief from discomfort or low mood. These are similar to the effects provided by other kratom formulations.
Reported Downsides:
- Negative side effects: Many people complain of side effects such as dizziness, nausea, and headaches after vaping kratom.
- Overconsumption: The rapid onset of effects can be overwhelming, especially for new consumers or those who consume too much in a short time frame.
- Different effects from other kratom products: Kratom vapes have unpredictable effects. Vapes that contain unlisted ingredients (like cannabinoids) can cause consumers to become unexpectedly high.
- Ineffective: Some people report that smoking kratom leaves or vaping kratom has little to no effect.
Quicker Onset, Shorter Duration
When vaping, vaporized compounds are absorbed directly through your lungs into your bloodstream. The effects of vaping can be felt within minutes for most substances. There is typically a much faster onset of effects compared to oral kratom consumption, which provides effects after 20 to 45 minutes. When you consume kratom tea or powder orally, it must undergo first pass metabolism via the liver and will slowly be digested before the alkaloids enter your bloodstream.
The duration of the kratom alkaloids’ effects may be shorter when vaped compared to oral consumption. When kratom is consumed in tea or capsules, the body metabolizes the active compounds more slowly. This contributes to longer-lasting effects, often between 4 to 6 hours. In contrast, consumers say the effects from vaping kratom have a much shorter duration.
Why Kratom Vapes Can Be Dangerous
One of the appeals of kratom vaping is its ability to deliver the plant’s active compounds quickly into the bloodstream through the lungs. However, there are concerns about the safety, quality, and long-term effects of vaping kratom.
The regulation of kratom vape products (and smoke shop products more broadly) is minimal. This means there is significant variability in the purity and potency of products available on the market.
We’ll go into detail on each of these potential issues with smoking kratom below.
- Lack of research
- Poorly manufactured & labeled products
- Increased risk of overconsumption
- Increased risk of dependency
1. Lack of Research into Vaping & Smoking Kratom
The short-term and long-term effects of vaping or smoking kratom are still largely under-researched.
In 2017, researchers at Johns Hopkins University and NIDA conducted a survey of kratom user demographics and use patterns. Of the 2798 respondents, only 12 (0.4%) reported consuming kratom via an alternative method like smoking, intravenous injection, or subcutaneous injection.
Scientists haven’t started any pre-clinical or clinical studies on the inhalation of kratom’s alkaloids. One case report has been written about a 31-year-old man who lost consciousness and had acute liver and kidney injuries after smoking kratom. What exactly the patient ingested (and how much of it) is unknown, but his serum mitragynine level was 5 ng/ml and his standard urine drug test came back negative.
Long story short, we’re a long way away from having all the information we need about the safe amount of kratom to vape (or if vaping kratom extract is safe at all).
2. Poorly Manufactured & Labeled Products
Even if we theoretically lived in a world where we had plenty of research that demonstrated that vaping kratom is safe and effective, you might not want to do it. Why’s that?
Vaping kratom introduces foreign substances into the lungs. This could cause respiratory issues, especially if the vape products contain harmful additives or contaminants.
This happens not just because kratom is unregulated in many parts of the United States, but also because there are unfortunately many people in the world who care more about making a quick buck than following manufacturing laws to keep consumers safe.
Adding Kratom Vape Juice to Vaporizers Made for Other Substances
Another issue is that companies or individual consumers might add kratom vape juice to vaporizers designed for other substances.
All compounds have a boiling point—the temperature at which the liquid turns into a vapor. Some vape pens work by boiling compounds so that you can inhale their vaporized form. The temperature needed to boil commonly vaped substances (like nicotine or cannabis) may not be sufficient to boil certain kratom alkaloids, or it may rapidly degrade them.
Members of the kratom community have hypothesized that kratom alkaloids cannot withstand the high temperatures required for vaping and may have reduced bioavailability when inhaled. If these hypotheses are true, you’d have to vape much more to get the effects you want. This could mean vapes are ineffective in terms of cost and net health benefits.
Vapes Containing Other Psychoactive Substances Not Listed on the Label
Multiple kratom consumers have commented on Reddit that the kratom vape they tried likely contained cannabinoids, not kratom. They felt a distinct high after vaping that was unlike the effects of any kratom product they’d previously consumed.
So it seems that kratom vape brands may be using ingredients that they aren’t listing on labels. It’s easy to see how this could create dangerous situations for people who use these disposable vapes for the first time while they are driving, working, or doing other activities requiring focus and coordination.
Related: How Mediocre Labeling Practices Contributed to the Space Dust Kratom Lawsuit and Others
Buying products from a trustworthy company is essential for ensuring your own long-term health. Even if a kratom vape brand claims to follow manufacturing safety regulations, a trustworthy company wouldn’t make a product that doesn’t have any evidence showing that it’s effective or generally safe.
3. Preventing Overconsumption Can Be Difficult with Inhalation
Our bodies are pretty smart. We have built-in mechanisms that protect us from dangerous circumstances. For example, when we eat way too much food or drink too much coffee or alcohol, we may feel nauseous (which keeps us from consuming more). We may even vomit to get rid of our stomach contents.
But what about when you smoke or vape a particular product? The situation is a bit different. The active compounds in the vape juice enter your bloodstream much more quickly. If you consume too much, there may not be an easy and quick way to reverse the effects of what you’ve inhaled.
This doesn’t mean that you should never inhale substances. There are many substances that people have historically preferred to smoke or inhale instead of eating. If you want to feel the effects of cannabis in a just few minutes instead of waiting 1-3 hours to feel the effects of an edible, or if you have an inhaler with asthma medication, inhalation is obviously an incredibly beneficial method of consumption. But unlike inhalers, which have metered doses, you have to be more careful with disposable vape pens to ensure you consume the right amount.
4. Smoking May Have a Higher Risk of Dependency
A person seeking fast relief may find themselves using kratom vapes more frequently. This pattern of behavior—combined with the lack of control over serving sizes when vaping—could make it easier to develop a tolerance and dependency.
Be Wary of Vape Companies’ Predatory Marketing
When researching kratom vape effects and dangers, we came across a deeply concerning statement on a UK-based vape company’s website. In their article titled Can You Vape Kratom? they wrote “Vaping is often regarded to be one of the safest ways to have your favorite herbal supplement… Is it Safe to Vape Kratoms? [sic] Yes. Kratom is an herbal remedy so it will not cause any life-endangering impact.“
This statement is not just incorrect, it’s dangerous. First off, vaping is not the one of the safest methods of ingestion of an herbal product. Second, just because a plant is a common herbal remedy does not mean it is safe under all circumstances.
There are plenty of examples of psychoactive plants and herbal remedies that are generally safe and effective when consumed orally but can be more harmful when inhaled, from mullein and coffee to eucalyptus oil and lavender oil.
A number of factors impact a plant’s relative safety. These include the serving size, the consumption method, your individual physiology/metabolism, or contraindications with other foods or substances you consume at the same time.
There are plenty of examples of psychoactive plants and herbal remedies that are safe and effective when consumed orally but can be harmful when inhaled, from mullein and coffee to eucalyptus oil and lavender oil.
Natural ≠ Safe, Synthetic ≠ Dangerous
Lastly, the brand demonizes all synthetic compounds, claiming they’ll cause cancer and lung disease. The idea that natural = safe and synthetic = dangerous is fundamentally flawed. Tobacco is a natural ingredient, yet inhaling it can cause serious health problems like lung cancer and respiratory disease. On the other hand, scientists may formulate certain ingredients in vape products (for example, synthetic flavorings or liquid bases) to be safer when vaporized than natural alternatives.
It’s crucial to focus on the specific ingredients, as both natural and synthetic compounds can have varying levels of safety.
Kratom Vape Reviews
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On various online platforms like Reddit’s r/kratom and r/RecreationalKratom, as well as e-juice forums, user reviews of kratom e-juice and disposable vapes are mixed.
Keep in mind, the following reviews are anecdotal reports. They don’t always reference particular brands/products, and the ingredients on the label may not match what a brand actually puts in their e-liquid. Additionally, some reports involve the use of multiple substances at once, meaning the effects of vaping kratom extract alone are unclear.
Reviews of Disposable Kratom Vapes:
- Unknown brand review by @No-Green8126: “I bought a kratom vape and, while it may have kratom extract in it, it definitely had delta 8 or another cannabinoid in it. I’m on Suboxone and switching to methadone, so I had to ween down and then go all day (until about 10 am today, so 5 more hours) without anything… Took two hits and it hit me like a delta 8 pen. Mind you, I hate those things, and am not a fan of weed, so I was not happy. Be careful which ones you buy.”
- Quick Fix K-Bar Kratom 2000 review by @Waitwhoareyou21: “I bought a ‘Quick Fix K-Bar Kratom 2000’. It works decently well, I took a few hits and got the effects I was hoping for. Nothing crazy, just feeling relaxed and ready for the night. The big thing with this vape, though, is that it tastes like absolute s**t…”
- Unknown brand review by @fastphilly1: “Took 2 big pulls got real stoned to no kratom vibes, which was not what I was looking for.”
- Unknown brand review by @Ilikedabsandweed: “…it does work and provides instant relief. Doesn’t last as long either. I like to use mine a few times while I wait for my powder dose to kick in. FYI it tastes like a**.”
- Blue Moon Hemp’s Whole Plant Extract Kratom Vape 2000 review by @ClassOpposite: “Just got one of these from smoke/kratom shop today and it’s pretty good!!”
Review of Smoking Crushed Leaf Kratom:
- Top Tree owner Soren Shade’s experience smoking crushed leaf in a pipe: “The flavor of the leaves was nice. I felt a subtle tingling on my tongue for a few minutes, but I didn’t feel any other effects.”
Reviews of Kratom Vape Juice: E-Liquid and DIY Extract Vaporizers
- Vape MD 50X Red Vein Kratom Vape Juice review by @STR8V8PING: “My initial thoughts is it sucks. The flavor is like non descript chemical flavor and has a plastic off note. Can def tell its not made by diyers. They def need some lessons in making ejuice. With the plastic note i dont even know if i should continue to try it. It may be leeching from the ldpe bottle. I threw some in a pod and vaped a couple ml and im not really feeling anything so far so im thinking at least this one is a bust.”
- Unknown e-juice brand review by @Crowens04: “…I take a couple hits, not expecting to get any feeling from it. Seconds later, I was shocked by that relaxing, warm feeling that crept up on me.”
- DIY mitragynine vape review by @Irie_Clouds: “I once tried to vape mitragynine isolate with a torch driven glass vaporizer and it kind of worked, I felt a little instant buzz. It was just not worth it to be honest. And I even dont know how much substance was actually degraded due to the heat…”
Expert Opinions: What Healthcare Professionals and Scientists Say About Vaping
Proponents of vaping point to the fact that it is potentially healthier than smoking cigarettes and joints, but since most kratom consumers don’t smoke kratom leaf material, this comparative health benefit doesn’t really exist. Moreover, a 2020 review of the effects of vaping and smoking cigarettes observed that “vaping [nicotine] has been found to cause similar effects as smoking on lung function and cardiovascular function.”
Legality of Kratom Vapes
Kratom is banned in Wisconsin, Indiana, Arkansas, Alabama, Rhode Island, and Vermont, as well as some towns and counties in other states.
Rhode Island nearly legalized kratom in June of 2024, with a few caveats—manufacturers would have been prohibited from selling kratom intended for vaping and kratom candy formulations (as well as adulterated kratom and kratom without certain package labeling). The Senate and House passed the bill, but it was then vetoed by the governor.
It’s possible that more states will enact kratom consumer protection laws which specifically ban kratom smoking and vaping products in the future.
Disposable Vape Legality: Beyond Kratom
An important aside: single-use vape pens (not just for kratom, but for all substances) have been under international scrutiny for their environmental impact lately.
Americans collectively purchase over 10 million disposable vape pens each month. In the UK, a year’s worth of discarded single use vapes sent approximately 10 tonnes of lithium to landfills, “equivalent to the batteries inside 1,200 electric vehicles.”
Advocates on many fronts are working to establish laws to prevent resource depletion and subsequent hazardous waste production from single-use vapes.
Alternatives to Kratom Vapes
For those seeking the benefits of kratom without the risks associated with using untested products or products from unreliable brands, there are several alternatives.
If you’re interested in vaping kratom because you’re tired of consuming powder, there are still options for you. Crushed leaf tea bags, low-concentration extracts, or tinctures are popular liquid kratom options that can provide a more moderate, controlled experience. With these methods, you’ll avoid the risks of inhaling potentially harmful substances into your lungs.
Strategies for Harm Reduction When Smoking Kratom
If you do choose to vape kratom, there are strategies you can employ to reduce the potential dangers. Ensuring that vapes are free from harmful additives and following serving size guidelines can reduce some of the risks associated with vaping. Here are some suggestions:
- Only try products with clear ingredient lists
- Check reviews from other consumers about particular brands and products
- Understand the serving size before consuming a new product
- Start small and work your way up to the ideal amount
- Source products from vendors that do thorough lab testing and follow rigorous manufacturing standards
These strategies are helpful when searching for a disposable kratom vape, but also apply other kratom formulations as well. Unfortunately, they’re particularly hard to follow with kratom vapes because the current vape brands are unreliable and don’t label their products well.
Related: 5 Things the Highest Quality Kratom Brands Do that Low-Quality Brands Don’t
If you have concerns, reach out to the kratom vape pen brand you’re considering and ask them your questions about safety and efficacy prior to use. Request to see lab test results that confirm the amount of alkaloids in the product and that there aren’t unsafe levels residual solvents or contaminants.
Take Action: Contribute to Kratom Vape Research and Advocacy
More kratom research and product regulation is desperately needed across the U.S., particularly as novelty products become widespread. Implementation of quality control standards can protect consumers from contaminated or adulterated kratom products. Research can help us understand the effects of vaping kratom and improve future regulations.
As a consumer, you can make a huge difference in keeping yourself and others safe. If you have vaped kratom, you can participate in future research (including online surveys) and share your experience with those studying this method of consumption.
To Vape or Not to Vape?
Kratom vapes seem like an appealing option if you’re seeking a fast onset of kratom’s effects. However, this convenience comes with health risks, including the potential for lung damage, inconsistent product quality or strength, and an increased risk of dependency.
Until more research is available on the short-term and long-term effects of vaping kratom, we recommend exercising caution and considering alternatives that have a more substantial history of safe use.
