Please DO NOT BAN kratom. I am a veteran & I am 63 years old. I have been using kratom for about 5 years now. It helps me with my PTSD, pain, gives me energy & a different one at night to sleep. I have horrible nightmares from being in the military. I only use clean tested powder & No extracts from zenfully bliss in diberville. I would be in a world of trouble if you banned it and made me a criminal for needing kratom. I was hit by a car while working for the county & kratom is the only thing that helps with my pain. Then just 2 years ago I ended up with cancer in my stomach. Thank God they were able to get it out but it was a tuff road. However kratom did help me so much with getting through the tough times. It has always helped with my pain 100%. I wouldn't know what to do if you banned kratom & made me a criminal because I don't want to live in severe pain. Please rethink this ban on kratom. Make places test their kratom, put an age on it & stop those extracts from being sold. Those extracts are the problem & it isn't clean tested kratom powder.  Clean tested powder is safe & has been used for centuries without any problems. Please don't ban kratom!"

"I was on prescription pills, alcohol, and street drugs to cope with pain from a previous car accident. I lost my daughter 2 years ago, and I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression. I was taking Xanax and Prozac- these prescription pills were killing me. I was highly addicted. I went into a Kratom store in Mississippi called Zenfully Bliss, and I could barely walk, after taking Kratom I can walk. I can go to work and I can do all the things I used to do with no drugs. Just Kratom, it’s natural, it has no drugs or chemicals and I’m no longer addicted to any drugs. Kratom changed my life, please don’t ban Kratom, it is needed."

“I've had 2 hip surgeries and having to use my body walking 8 hours a day at work it takes it toll on my hip and causes discomfort and pain. I'm in my 60's so I'm not a young man. Taking ibuprofen, and Tylenol is causing health issues with my kidneys and other detrimental parts of my body. Since taking kratom it has helped a lot with taking away the pain and also helps me sleep at night. Because it is a natural herb and in of the coffee family it has no side effects on me.

I'm a military veteran and I don't get the proper medication to help me function in life with my daily work/job requirements. Please allow the hard working men and women of this country to continue having access to this miracle helping herb called kratom. I thank you sincerely.”

“Kratom has helped me in so many ways. Just recently I had a total reverse shoulder surgery. They did give me a prescription for oxycodone. I did opt out of that option and took Kratom instead. There are different strands of Kratom. I took the Red Bali strand for pain. It does stop the pain and does not make you feel drugged up or hungover.

Other strands are just as good with different things you're dealing with.

I understand that they have these so called Kratom shops that actually sell Kratom mixed with chemicals. Those are not good for you and they should be taken off the shelf! I am sure there is a way to do this instead of actually taking 100% Kratom off the market and making it illegal. This is just not right, the people that actually sell pure Kratom are in it for the good of the people.

Is it because the pharmaceutical industry is not controlling Kratom and getting their cut. Or is it because they're losing so much money? People are coming to their senses and not wanting to be drugged up not to mention the horrible side effects to these medications. The side effects are actually worse than what they're treating!

You really should dig deeper for the people. Please don't make this illegal to buy. Even more, please don't put people out of business for the sale of Kratom.”

"I have Fibromyalgia and have had several back surgeries. I hurt 24/7. Any place on my body that’s touched sends pain through out my body. If my chair is bumped, same thing, pain goes through out my body. After my last back surgery. I wasn’t able to leave my home cause I couldn’t get down my stairs, so I wasn’t able to go to my pain Management Appointment.

Thank God I knew the lady that had a kratom shop. Before she opened her shop, she done a lot of research. She knew exactly what I’d need and it worked. There are so many people she helps with all their pain.”

“I have been taking kratom for a very long time. I was diagnosed with GBS auto immune disorder.

I was left with a lot of pain in my body after. It helps me get through my day to day life. I really would have no idea how to survive my demanding job daily. I rather take Kratom because it is natural. I don’t want to be hooked on pain pills. That just is not healthy by any means!

Please take into consideration how much Kratom has helped me and thousands of others.”

"I have osteoporosis which isn’t responding well to medication for the ailment. I have foot fractures from time to time, as well as planters fasciitis, which pain is managed nicely with Kratom, without the need for narcotics.

Please vote against all House Bills being considered to make Kratom a scheduled substance.”

“I have been talking Kratom for 6 years everyday to help with anxiety and energy. Kratom does not give me a physical feeling like a drug. The best way I can say it is that sometimes I wake up in the morning feeling dread and not wanting to participate in life but I know when I take my Kratom that at least within the hour I feel balanced and have an overall well being.

I was introduced to kratom by my sister who takes it for the same reason. I am grateful that there is a natural product that can help us. I purchase mine from a business that receives their Kratom from a source that tests it in a lab and when they receive it they also send to a lab to have it tested. Please do not take Kratom away. There are so many more people who take it for many reasons. The person I purchase from had an accident that left her with chronic pain and lab medications were costing around $800 a month, not to mention side affects from lab created medication.

Since finding Kratom she no longer needs the medication and just takes Kratom. She went in to open a shop for Kratom as a result of how much it helped her. I forgot to mention that it also helps any pain I have in my joints.”

"I have been taking kratom now for about 6 years, Really helps me to have a better Quality of life from a injury while in the military (82nd Airbourne Div) keeps me from having to take the highly additive opiates."

“I am currently 37 years old. When I was 16 I had two skull surgeries for a Chiari I Malformation. The pain afterwards was unbearable, and unfortunately, I eventually became physically dependent on opiates. Three months after my second surgery my mom passed away from complications of the exact same surgery. Chiari I is congenital and hereditary. Also, at the age of 18 I had my gallbladder removed. Then at 21 I had a necessary life saving hysterectomy. By this time I had had so many pain pills prescribed by doctors for legitimate reasons. And I was hooked.

I went on to serve 7 years in prison for charges related to my addiction. Six years ago I got clean for good. BUT I still have CHRONIC DEBILITATING PAIN in my neck and have a headache every single day of my life. Kratom is the ONLY REASON I am still alive. It eases my pain tremendously and enables me to function like a semi-normal person. Suicide almost became my demise, more than once. I didn’t want to be addicted anymore but I also didn’t want to suffer.

When I found kratom, it changed my life. I can actually work and provide for my family. Without kratom, I fear that the pain will be too much to endure. Please please please do not take this lifeline that has helped millions of people.”

"I currently consume kratom for pain relief. I am 43 years old and suffer from chronic pain. I’ve taken opioids, have had injections among other things. I can honestly say that I don't know where I'd be without kratom. It’s impossible to live with chronic pain."

"I suffer from chronic pain, crippling arthritis, spina bifida, fibromyalgia, migraines., depression, and anxiety and Kratom is the only thing I've found that helps with all of my issues and I don't have to take any prescriptions anymore.

Kratom has helped me so much and is truly a miracle.

Please don't ban this wonderful leaf, it has saved so many people's lives.”

"I suffer from chronic pain, spinal stenosis and osteoarthritis. Instead of using opioids for pain my son asked me to try Kratom.

It helps me make it through the day. Sometimes the pain is indescribable.When I take it I can at least function for the day."

"When I left the military, I did so at the request of my wife for the sake of our new family. I was not ready and I watched as everything fell apart. My marriage was failing, my education was failing, and my career was failing. This culminated about a year later with me suicidal, sitting by myself on a bench in a park and deciding that I was going to take my life that day. The reason that I didn't was because kratom was available to me, which helped me clear my mind and realize that my son would be without a father. If it were not for Kratom I would not be here today."

"After my first csection at the age of 28, I began having debilitating pain in the middle of my spine. I couldn’t lay down, sit down or stand comfortably. I spent 6yrs miserable, going from one doctor to another with no answers and no help. I was desperate for relief, even just a little. I found out about kratom and figured it was worth a shot (I had already tried diet, exercise, wt loss, yoga, PT, supplements, pain management, literally everything). Kratom saved me. It allowed me to return to daily activities (showering, cooking, caring for my children). Kratom helps me to live. It hasn’t harmed me or relationships, I’m not addicted or high, I haven’t had any side effects. It is safe and effective and I am DISGUSTED that attempts are being made to ban it. After years of asking for help from doctors (and being told it was all in my head, “you’re too young to have anything wrong with you”) I was finally diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis and degenerate disc disease. These conditions will only get worse with time. If kratom is banned I will not be able to continue living a life that isn’t composed solely of chronic pain and misery."

"I rely on kratom to ease severe pain and ease anxiety. I don't get near enough pain meds or any anxiety meds, so I rely on kratom to survive the day. I live on the Mississippi Coast and if Rhode Island can do it, I am hopeful for the rest of us."

"Kratom has helped me tremendously. Not so long ago I was taking pain meds for my shoulder. My joints still hurt a lot of days and on days they are hurting bad I take kratom. Since I have started taking it I no longer take any meds and that’s been several years now."