Summary: Kratom is a psychoactive plant that can provide both uplifting and relaxing effects, depending on the dose and strain. While many use kratom recreationally for a mild high, others take it for functional benefits like pain relief or increased energy.
- At low doses (1–3 grams), kratom is generally energizing and uplifting.
- At higher doses (5–8 grams), it has calming, sedating effects that some use for discomfort or sleep support.
- Different strains affect the experience: white is stimulating, red is relaxing, and green offers a balance of both.
- A kratom high typically lasts 2–6 hours, with onset and duration influenced by metabolism, dosage, and strain.
- Though federally legal, kratom’s legality varies by state, making it important to check local laws before purchase.
Does kratom get you high? The answer isn’t up for debate – kratom is a psychoactive substance that can have both uplifting and relaxing, sedating effects. Yes, kratom can get you high.
While the direct answer to that question is simple, there’s a lot more to learn about kratom and its effects.
Because this substance can act both like an energizing, uplifting substance and a relaxing, calming one, it’s especially important to learn how to get the effects you want. It’s also important to note that, while kratom is psychoactive, a significant number of users use it for functional benefits. In other words, they aren’t looking for a high – they want to address a health concern.
Keep reading to learn much more about kratom and kratom highs.
The Basics on Kratom: What It Is, Why People Use It, and More
Where Kratom Comes From
Kratom is the common name for the powdered leaves of the Mitragyna speciosa tree, and various extracts made from those leaves. It’s part of the coffee family, but its active ingredients have much different effects than caffeine. This tree is native to parts of Southeast Asia, where it has a long history of use for both recreational and practical reasons.
Kratom use has grown substantially during the last 10-20 years in the US and other countries. As more people learned about the effects of kratom, it quickly caught on far outside its native territory.
Why People Use Kratom
Historically, kratom was used to treat health issues, such as muscle cramps, pain, and other common ailments, as WebMD points out. It was also used by people working long hours and in strenuous jobs to provide an energy boost, helping them get through their days.
As Harvard Health Publishing points out, kratom has both energizing and relaxing effects. Some of the most prevalent chemicals in kratom, specifically mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, act on the body’s opioid receptors.
However, kratom doesn’t only have opioid effects. It can also provide an uplifting sensation and a boost of energy, depending on the dose. In modern times, people also use kratom to deal with opiate withdrawal, among many other functional reasons.
Does kratom make you high? It certainly can, and often does, but that recreational goal is far from the only reason why people use it.
This wide range of dose-dependent effects and its variety of functional and recreational effects are a few key reasons why people use kratom.
Effects of Kratom
Kratom has relaxing, sedating effects at higher doses and more energizing and uplifting effects at lower doses. While everyone is different and the potency of kratom can change from one product and strain to the next, these are the general dosing levels for powdered kratom leaves (and not extracts, which are generally more potent) followed by many kratom users:
- Low dose (1-3 grams). Generally more uplifting and energizing.
- Medium dose (3-5 grams). A balance between relaxing and uplifting, with more of the specific strain’s traits coming through.
- High dose (5-8 grams). Relaxing, calming, and, for some users, the dose taken to help with discomfort or provide support for falling and staying asleep.
With these doses in mind, it’s also important to consider the different strains of kratom. While all types of kratom generally contain the same active chemicals, their proportions are not always the same. Here’s a brief review:
- White kratom. More energizing and stimulating, less sedating and relaxing.
- Red kratom. More calming and euphoric effects, less of an uplifting experience.
- Green kratom. A balance of red kratom and white kratom, offering both types of effects.
Legality of Kratom
Kratom is legal on the federal level and legal in most, but not all, states across the US. A relatively small number of states have bans on kratom sales and/or possession. More states have put a regulatory framework in place that limits advertising, restricts sales to minors, and institutes other common-sense rules.
Kratom is legal in much of the US. However, it’s always important to look into state and local laws related to kratom before making a purchase.
FAQs and Answers About Kratom Highs and Effects
How Strong is Kratom Compared to Morphine?
While definitive scientific research isn’t available, it’s generally thought that kratom is significantly less potent than morphine when comparing equivalent doses.
Kratom can have opiate-type effects, especially at higher doses. While both act on the opiate receptors in the body, they are very different chemically and have distinct effects for individual users. The vast majority of users consider the effects of kratom to be milder than those of standard opiates, especially powerful ones like morphine.
How Long Does a Kratom High Last?
The length of a kratom high depends on many factors, ranging from individual metabolism and sensitivity to this substance to the size of the dose. That said, a kratom high generally lasts somewhere between 2-6 hours.
Smaller doses will provide more uplifting effects as well as a shorter duration of those effects. Larger doses provide both relaxing, sedating effects and a longer duration.
Does Kratom Get You Higher Than Weed?
It’s difficult, if not impossible, to say if kratom or cannabis produces a more intense experience.
Kratom and cannabinoids – including Delta 9 THC and many similar but legally distinct chemicals – are entirely different substances. They have different active ingredients and produce their effects by acting on different receptors in the body.
That means it’s complicated to compare doses to find a shared baseline. And even more difficult to determine whether one or the other produces more intense effects, even if an equivalent dose could be found.
The Best Kratom Products from Top Brands at Delta 8 Resellers
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