Is Kratom Legal in Iowa? (2026 Law and the Failed Ban Bill)

Kratom is not listed as a controlled substance in Iowa. The state's Schedule I list in Iowa Code 124.204 contains no entry for kratom, mitragynine or 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), and no Iowa statute sets a kratom age limit or sales rules. A concentrated or semi-synthetic 7-OH product could be treated as a Schedule II opiate if a court applied Iowa's effect-based opiate definition (Iowa Code 124.101(23)) to it; no Iowa statute or rule names 7-OH as an opiate, and no published Iowa appellate decision has applied that definition to it. A 2026 bill to make kratom a Schedule I hallucinogen, House File 2133, passed the Iowa House but not the Senate, so it is not law. For other states, see our guide to kratom laws by state.

Information last verified on 2026-10-11. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Jurisdiction scope: This article covers Iowa state law on kratom: the controlled-substance schedules in Iowa Code chapter 124 (sections 124.201 through 124.212) with the opiate definition in section 124.101(23), the federal-adoption provision in section 124.201(4) and the Board of Pharmacy's September 2026 proposal under section 124.201, the drug offenses and penalties in sections 124.401 and 124.401A and the sentencing ranges in sections 902.9 and 903.1, the operating-while-intoxicated statute (section 321J.2), the 2026 kratom bill (House File 2133 and Senate File 2192) and the state's September 2026 public warning, with one paragraph on federal law. It does not cover city or county ordinances, other Board of Pharmacy rules, employer or school policies, military rules or other states' laws.

Is kratom legal in Iowa?

Iowa does not list kratom in its schedules. Section 124.204 lists the substances in Iowa's Schedule I, and its hallucinogen list in subsection 4 contains no entry for kratom, the plant Mitragyna speciosa, mitragynine or 7-OH. The other schedules, sections 124.206, 124.208, 124.210 and 124.212, do not list them by name either.

Iowa also has no statute that regulates kratom as a consumer product. There is no state minimum age, no labeling requirement, no vendor registration and no cap on 7-OH content. The Iowa Code does not mention kratom at all, so no kratom provision carries an effective date.

That does not mean every kratom-related product is outside the law. Federal law now lists three semi-synthetic kratom-related compounds in Schedule I (see the federal section below), and state officials warned retailers and the public about 7-OH products in September 2026.

The 2026 kratom bill (not enacted)

The Iowa Legislature came close to scheduling kratom in 2026. House File 2133 would have added a new paragraph to the Schedule I hallucinogen list in section 124.204(4):

"Kratom, meaning any parts of the plant Mitragyna speciosa, whether growing or not, as well as synthetic equivalents of the substances contained in the plant, and any compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of that plant, including but not limited to mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine."

The proposed entry reached the leaf itself, not only concentrated 7-OH products. The bill's explanation, as introduced, described the penalty for possession: "A person possessing kratom is guilty of a serious misdemeanor for a first offense. A person who commits a subsequent violation is guilty of an aggravated misdemeanor. A person who has previously been convicted two or more times is guilty of a class 'D' felony." No House floor amendment was adopted, so the House passed the bill as introduced.

The bill record on the Iowa Legislature's site shows these steps:

The record shows no Senate vote on the bill, so House File 2133 did not become law. Iowa's only 2026 change to section 124.204 came from House File 2202, signed April 16, 2026, which added other synthetic substances to Schedule I and did not touch kratom.

Iowa's September 2026 kratom warning

On September 1, 2026, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Public Safety issued a joint public warning about kratom and synthetic 7-OH. The HHS release reports 45 kratom-associated deaths in Iowa since 2024, across 23 counties, and states that "16 deaths occurred in the first seven months of 2026." It also notes the DEA's August 26, 2026 scheduling of three synthetic kratom-derived compounds.

The release is a public health warning. It is not a statute, a rule or a ban, and it does not change what the Iowa schedules list.

How federal scheduling reaches Iowa

Iowa ties its schedules to federal action through the Board of Pharmacy. Section 124.201(4) provides that if a new substance is designated as controlled under federal law and notice is given to the Board, "the board shall similarly designate as controlled the new substance under this chapter after the expiration of thirty days from publication in the federal register of a final order designating a new substance as a controlled substance, unless within that thirty-day period the board objects to the new designation."

A designation made this way is temporary. Under the same subsection, if the General Assembly does not enact it within two years, "the temporary amendment is repealed by operation of law two years from the effective date of the temporary amendment."

The Board has started a rulemaking under section 124.201. In the September 30, 2026 Iowa Administrative Bulletin, the Iowa Board of Pharmacy published a regulatory analysis (RA 26-323) for a proposed rule, titled "Temporary designation of controlled and precursor substances," that would add mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15 and MGM-16, among other substances, to Iowa's Schedule I in section 124.204(9), "in response to similar scheduling action taken by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration." A public hearing is set for October 20, 2026, and the formal Notice of Intended Action is still to be published.

This is a proposal, not a rule in force. Today section 124.204 does not list the three compounds, and the proposal does not cover kratom leaf, mitragynine or 7-OH. If the rule is adopted as proposed, the designation would be a temporary amendment to the schedules, and under section 124.201(4) a temporary amendment is repealed two years from its effective date unless the General Assembly enacts it.

What penalties apply to kratom in Iowa?

Kratom leaf, mitragynine and 7-OH are not listed by name in Iowa's schedules, and no kratom-specific penalty statute exists. Iowa's Schedule II does cover "opium and opiate, and any salt, compound, derivative, or preparation of opium or opiate" (124.206(2)(a)), and section 124.101(23) defines an opiate by its effect, as "any substance having an addiction-forming or addiction-sustaining liability similar to morphine." No Iowa statute or rule names kratom, mitragynine or 7-OH as an opiate, and no published Iowa appellate decision has applied that definition to them, but a prosecutor could argue that it reaches a concentrated or semi-synthetic 7-OH product.

The penalty ladder in chapter 124 would apply to any kratom-related compound that becomes a Schedule I substance in Iowa, whether by statute or by a Board designation under section 124.201(4). For a Schedule I substance that the statute does not separately weigh, such as kratom under the section 124.204(4) entry House File 2133 proposed, the ladder is:

Section 124.401(1)(c)(9) reaches "Any other controlled substance, counterfeit substance, simulated controlled substance, or imitation controlled substance classified in schedule I, II, or III," and that tier has no weight threshold. Section 124.401A adds a possible enhancement: an adult who distributes, or manufactures or possesses with intent to distribute, a Schedule I, II or III substance to another adult within 1,000 feet of a school, public park, public swimming pool or public recreation center, or on a marked school bus, "may be sentenced up to an additional term of confinement of five years." Distribution of a Schedule I substance by an adult to someone under 18 is a class B felony with a five-year minimum term (ten years near a school, park, pool or recreation center, or on a marked school bus) under section 124.406, and section 124.401(1)(e) doubles the term for a person in immediate possession or control of a firearm during a manufacture or delivery offense.

If the Board's rule is adopted as proposed, the three DEA compounds would be listed in section 124.204(9), and that subsection carries its own weight tiers for manufacture, delivery or possession with intent: five kilograms or less of a mixture would be a class C felony (124.401(1)(c)(8)), more than five and up to ten kilograms a class B felony (124.401(1)(b)(9)), and more than ten kilograms a class B felony punishable by up to 50 years and a fine of up to $1,000,000 (124.401(1)(a)(8)). Today Iowa's schedules do not list the three compounds, so these Iowa tiers do not apply to them.

The three compounds in the August 2026 DEA order are federal Schedule I substances now. Federal Schedule I sanctions apply to anyone in Iowa who possesses or otherwise handles them, whatever Iowa's own schedules say.

Federal kratom law

Kratom leaf, mitragynine and 7-OH are not listed in the federal schedules in the October 6, 2026 version of 21 CFR 1308. A DEA temporary order placed mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15 and MGM-16 in federal Schedule I effective August 26, 2026. The DEA filed a new notice of intent (FR Doc. 2026-20943, filed for public inspection on October 9, 2026 and scheduled for publication on October 14, 2026) to temporarily place 7-OH and mitragynine pseudoindoxyl in Schedule I when either one, or both combined, is above a threshold: more than 1 mg per gram in solid forms or more than 1 mg per milliliter in liquids, or a ratio of mitragynine to those compounds of less than 100. That notice states that the DEA's July 2026 notice of intent to temporarily schedule 7-OH above a threshold is being withdrawn in a separate document. A second DEA notice of intent filed the same day (FR Doc. 2026-20942) proposes a new temporary order that would keep MGM-15 and MGM-16 in Schedule I "without change," to distinguish them from mitragynine pseudoindoxyl. Neither notice is an order, and the DEA says neither new temporary order will be issued before 30 days after publication, about November 13, 2026. The August 26, 2026 order stays in effect until it expires or is replaced by the new temporary orders, whichever comes first. The FDA's position is that kratom is not lawfully marketed in the U.S. as a drug product, a dietary supplement or a food additive in conventional food. Our kratom laws by state hub covers the federal layer in more detail.

Driving and criminal records

Iowa's operating-while-intoxicated statute has two relevant clauses. Section 321J.2(1)(a) covers driving "under the influence of an alcoholic beverage or other drug or a combination of such substances," which is not limited to controlled substances. Section 321J.2(1)(c) separately covers driving "While any amount of a controlled substance is present in the person, as measured in the person's blood or urine"; that clause does not reach kratom leaf, mitragynine or 7-OH by name because Iowa does not list them, but it would reach any kratom-related compound that becomes controlled in Iowa. A first offense is a serious misdemeanor. See our guide to Iowa DUI laws.

Because kratom is not listed in Iowa's schedules, possessing kratom leaf is not a state drug offense by name under current law. For how Iowa handles clearing records generally, see Iowa expungement laws.

The Iowa Code sections on this page are quoted from the Iowa Code 2026 edition, compiled in December 2025. The 2026 session amended section 124.204 only through House File 2202, which did not add kratom or any kratom compound.

Related

• Kratom laws by state
• Iowa DUI laws
• Iowa expungement laws
• Iowa psilocybin mushroom laws

This article provides general legal information about Iowa state law as of October 11, 2026. It is not legal advice. Bills, Board of Pharmacy rules and federal scheduling actions can change the rules quickly. For advice about a specific situation, contact a lawyer licensed in Iowa or the Iowa Board of Pharmacy.

Last updated: 2026-10-11.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is kratom legal in Iowa?

Kratom, mitragynine and 7-OH are not listed in Iowa Schedule I (Iowa Code 124.204), and no Iowa statute regulates kratom sales or sets an age limit. House File 2133 (2026) would have made kratom a Schedule I hallucinogen, but only the House passed it.

Is 7-OH banned in Iowa?

No Iowa statute or schedule entry names 7-hydroxymitragynine, although a concentrated or semi-synthetic 7-OH product could be treated as a Schedule II opiate if a court applied Iowa Code 124.101(23) to it. House File 2133 (2026) named 7-OH and mitragynine in its proposed kratom entry, but it did not pass the Senate. Federally, a DEA notice of intent to temporarily schedule 7-OH above a threshold is pending, not an order.

What is the age limit for kratom in Iowa?

Iowa state law sets no minimum age for buying or possessing kratom, and no Iowa statute requires kratom labels, registration or a 7-OH cap.

Did Iowa ban kratom in 2026?

No. House File 2133 passed the House on March 17, 2026, but the Senate record shows only amendments filed (the last on April 27, 2026) and no Senate passage. No ban bill or rule on kratom or 7-OH has been enacted or adopted. The Board of Pharmacy's pending proposal (Sept. 30, 2026) covers three semi-synthetic compounds in the August 2026 DEA order, not kratom leaf, mitragynine or 7-OH.

What would the penalty be if kratom were scheduled in Iowa?

Under House File 2133 as introduced, possessing kratom would have been a serious misdemeanor for a first offense, an aggravated misdemeanor for a second and a class D felony after two or more prior convictions. Those penalties never took effect because the bill was not enacted.

Does the federal kratom compound order apply in Iowa?

Yes. The DEA temporary order effective August 26, 2026 places mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15 and MGM-16 in federal Schedule I, and federal law applies in Iowa. It does not cover kratom leaf, mitragynine or 7-OH. Iowa Code 124.204 does not list the three compounds; the Iowa Board of Pharmacy has proposed adding them to Iowa Schedule I (hearing October 20, 2026), but no rule listing them is in force.

Can I be charged with OWI after using kratom in Iowa?

Iowa Code 321J.2(1)(a) covers driving under the influence of an alcoholic beverage or other drug, which is not limited to controlled substances. The separate any-amount clause in 321J.2(1)(c) applies only to controlled substances, and kratom leaf is not listed as one in Iowa.