"I was addicted to opiates for 18 years. I used suboxone to get off opiates. Getting off of suboxone was way worse than getting off of opiates. Discovering kratom has been so beneficial. It is not like the other opioids. I never got the dopamine rush like from pills and so I didn’t have a mental obsession with it, which to me is the difference in being able to use a substance as a tool, or being addicted and having to take it. The lack of mental obsession, and the benefits received especially for people like myself who have chronic pain issues, makes this plant a miracle. I have helped at least a hundred people get off of other substances with the use of kratom. And most people don’t experience withdrawal when they stop taking it. I know that people who are taking extracts and concentrates may have more issues with stopping. But as someone who only takes the whole plant, there are no problems. If there is any uncomfortableness experienced, it is comparable to caffeine withdrawal. This plant is so safe. The University of Mississippi did research to see what the LD50 on this plant is, which is how large of a dose is needed for 50 percent of people to overdose on it. You would have to literally consume an entire kilo in one sitting, which is impossible. And your body would just reject it before it could consume that much. A kilo of Tylenol would kill you, so that says something about the safeness of this plant. It would be a tragedy to take this plant away from the people who use it as medicine. To make all those people turn back to pain pills, which most people would agree is less effective in killing pain. I know people who are addicted to fentanyl. I recommended kratom. They said they had a felony for possessing kratom. It is sad that people can’t even choose to take something completely safe and are instead taking fentanyl, the most dangerous drug ever invented. Please do what is right for people. Thank you."

"I am a 32 year old veteran who would like to share my experience with kratom and how the plant saved my life. Through much of my 20s, I was addicted to heroin. After finding kratom I was able to quit and now have over 6 years clean from opiates. Kratom gave me back control of my life when I thought all was lost. I pray my story imparts the value of kratom, and why its consumers need protection, not criminalization. I use kratom often to control back pain resulting from a 20ft fall. The relief it brings allows me to work a job I enjoy. Kratom is the only effective pain relief I've found other than prescription opioids, which I avoid due to my former addiction. Losing safe access to kratom would leave myself and thousands of others suffering in pain and increase the likelihood of turning to illegal drugs to find relief. Kratom made the withdrawal from fentanyl-laced heroin manageable, helping me to endure them. It also reduces the urge to use, helping me stay clean. Rehab and all my other recovery attempts failed, but kratom didn't, allowing me to overcome my addiction. If I had not found kratom, I'd still be in active addiction, or dead from an overdose. For me kratom literally saved my life. While taking kratom, I have never been fired for being intoxicated at work, stolen from friends and family, or woke up sick from withdrawals. All of these regularly occurred when I was using heroin. Kratom has never caused me to overdose while I experienced 3 overdoses on opiates. 2 of those would've been fatal if I was not administered narcan swiftly. Kratom saved me from being just another causality of the opioid epidemic."

"Before Kratom I couldn't sleep because back and leg pain. No doctor wanted to help. Just told me to take otc meds. If that worked I wouldn't be at the doctor. I spent nights awake and in a panic. My mental health suffered greatly that I had to quit my job. I could barely walk. Kratom helps me so much. It helps relieve my pain and anxiety. It's not addictive like the stuff doctors try to give you and then take away because the government says so. They just banned here because people don't understand it."

"I've been recreationally using Kratom for the last 3-4 years. I was once an addict on opioids and discovered kratom by chance in a smoke shop and decided to try it out. Since that experience, I've noticed massive positive changes. I've been an entrepreneur for the last 7 years and I've noticed an exciting trend with Kratom. I have found that the Kava & Kratom community has been incredibly supportive of my career and projects. I used to party a lot and didn't have life together because I was always looking for the "next high" and that could have been chemically altered depending on the source. The rise of fentanyl is getting out of hand because people simply don't test their drugs. People are seeking out natural alternatives and kratom is one of those alternatives. There should be more studies done on the plant and paired with a supportive community to pursue their careers and dreams. Long story short... kratom has the potential to change lives for the better."