Before you take a trip to Colombia with kratom, the first thing you should do is research its legality in the country. As a kratom user, you may already know that kratom can be legal, illegal or unregulated depending on the country or area.
There are some recent updates about kratom in Colombia. Read below to understand the laws and perception by authorities in this popular Latin American country.
Colombia’s Law 30 of 1986 allows the Ministry of Health and Social Protection and the National Drug Council (NFE) to list and govern controlled substances in the country. Today, kratom, mitragynine, or 7-hydroxymitragynine are not on the list of controlled substances in Colombia, which means kratom is legal in the country.
However, while kratom remains unregulated in Colombia, the National Institute of Food and Drug Surveillance (INVIMA) says it is illegal to commercialize products that are not regulated in the country. This means that the personal use and possession of kratom in Columbia is unlikely to cause any issue, but its sale and marketing through websites and social networks is illegal. In fact, there was a recent publication by INVIMA, warning residents against certain kratom products from a vendor known as Kratom Colombia.
On the 7th of September, 2024, Colombia’s Directorate of Medicine and Biological Products of INVIMA gave a warning to its citizens about a particular kratom product. The publication was in Spanish, but we translated it to English to understand what it was all about. First, INVIMA said it didn’t issue any sanitary registration to kratom products sold by Kratom Colombia.
The current health regulations of Colombia are that any product that has no health registration in the country is not legal to sell. This is because the health ministry cannot guarantee the quality, safety, and efficacy of such products.
What this means is that although kratom is unregulated in Colombia, its sale and distribution in the country are prohibited.
Kratom is not listed as a controlled substance in Colombia, which means you can bring it with you to Colombia. However, because Colombia is against the sale and distribution of kratom within the country, you may face some questioning if you are found to have large amounts of it.
The only time you may have issues is when the security official in charge sees your kratom in your bag during random checks. But from most traveller reports, whether you put your kratom in your checked bag or carry-on, it is unlikely for officials in Colombia to set their eyes on it.
The chances of getting questioned for kratom in Colombia are very slim, but knowing some things beforehand can help reduce some of the potential headaches:
As for now, kratom is not regulated in Colombia, but the laws can change in the future, which is why you need to keep an eye on the law. The fact that INVIMA is aware of kratom sales in the country could mean that there could be a more expanded review looming on the horizon.
Whether a potential review by the INVIMA could be in favor of or against kratom is what we can’t say for certain at the moment. What we can tell you is this: only bring a reasonable amount of kratom for personal use into Colombia, use kratom responsibly, and source your products from trustworthy vendors who have gained a reputation for quality and transparency.
CONTENT DISCLAIMER: The content on this page is strictly for entertainment purposes only. The content below has not been medically reviewed and is not intended to offer advice for use or intended use. For more information about kratom and its potential dangers, please visit the fda.gov site.