Kratom gave me my life back. I am a 48 year old wife and mother. I have been disabled for almost 20 years, but have suffered from chronic neck and back pain and small fiber neuropathy for almost 25 years. For close to 20 years, I had been taking high doses of narcotic pain medications, along with gabapentin. My pain doctor helped me transition to kratom. It took some time, but I was able to stop taking all prescription medications. I now rely solely on kratom for pain relief. My quality of life has improved since I started taking kratom, and while I am still unable to work, I am able to function and take care of my family - which is something that was incredibly difficult for me to do for over a decade. I am able to make it through the day without napping at all, as opposed to when I was taking prescription medications and had to nap for a minimum of three hours every single day. I no longer suffer from the gastrointestinal side effects of pain medications, including painful obstructions that caused me to be hospitalized a few times. Although I no longer take gabapentin, I do still suffer from the side effects, including brain fog and memory issues, but at least those problems aren't made worse since I don't have to take prescription medications! If I lost access to kratom, I would reluctantly be back on prescription medications, experiencing many negative side effects like I had in the past, and I would not be able to function properly or care for my family. I use kratom responsibly and my dosage has not increased over the years. I get bloodwork done fairly regularly and kratom has not caused any health issues for me. My story is not unique. There are many others whose stories are similar to mine. Responsible kratom use has allowed people, like me, to function and have a better quality of life.

"Kratom saved my life from a ten year opiate addiction. With the help of this natural plant I've been able to stop over 8 different medications. Medications that caused nothing but side effects and more medications prescribed to deal with the side effects. I would be bedridden from the chronic pain conditions I have without the help of kratom. It doesn't take the pain away completely but it does ease it enough so I can lead a productive life taking care of my grandchildren. I believe that kratom should be available to anyone 21yo and older to use as a dietary supplement in their lives if they wish to try it. Please do not ban this life saving plant that has helped me so much and helped thousands of others."

"My name is John. I am a below knee amputee with SEVERE muscle, bone and nerve pain. I've also suffered from Generalized Anxiety Disorder for around 2 decades now. All of this renders me basically useless when it gets really bad—crippled by DEBILITATING anxiety and racked with INTENSE pain all over my body. I've tried a great many medicines and remedies over the years in a futile attempt at relieving some of the worst of my symptoms. Opiate painkillers were one of them. SSRIs, SNRIs, Benzodiazepines, etc. Long story short, NONE of them worked out very well for me, and the herbal supplement kratom has been my saving grace. It takes care of a good portion of my pain, helps me get a (partial) hold on my nerves, and allows me get on with my life in general. Both state and federal governmental bodies have tried NUMEROUS tactics over the last several years—some even successfully—to go after this particular plant. My home state of Kentucky was one of them, as recently as 2022. There is a metric TON of disinformation floating around out there with regards to kratom. But the fact of the matter is that pure, UNADULTERATED kratom leaf powder ALONE has never harmed, let alone killed, anyone. Anyway, could you guys PLEASE tone it down a bit on your habit of trying to control and legislate every. single. little. thing. that we do with our bodies as we go about our daily lives. We are not criminals. We are not harming anyone. We just want the CHOICE of how to SAFELY medicate our own pain and/or mental difficulties. Passing the Kratom Consumer Protection Act will help stop dangerous, adulterated products from getting into the hands of consumers, ensure that any potential kratom products are thoroughly tested, and prevent the unnecessary and UNJUST criminalization of an IMMENSELY beneficial medicinal herb that has ZERO business being a Controlled Substance in the first place—not to mention the ordinary people that're using kratom to alleviate legitimate medical ailments. Enacting (or upholding) a ban does literally NONE of those things, and only serves to harm the very human beings that you are supposed to be protecting. I very much appreciate your time and consideration. I hope you'll do the right thing. :)"

"I began suffering from chronic illnesses and chronic pain in my early 20s. At the time doctors did not take me seriously. I suffered for eight years with no accurate diagnosis and no relief, with the last two years being unbearable to the point of being mostly bed-confined. During that time I was in so much pain that most people will never understand, and I hoped they never do. To even attempt to describe such an existence would be a disservice to the reality of such chronic unrelenting pain. It’s something one cannot “get till they get it.” But I can tell you what that pain, fatigue, and sickness prevented me from doing: focusing on television, my hobbies, safely driving, withstanding car rides, sitting in waiting rooms, advocating for myself in the doctor's office, and so much more. I was a high school math teacher before I became ill. In college, I graduated cum laude. My entire life I have been an overachiever and a hard worker. I worked for as long as I could handle after the onset of my symptoms, only to have the medical system continue dismiss me. During the small windows of time that I could focus through the pain, I searched for natural alternative ways to get help managing my symptoms. I found kratom. While it did not take away all of my symptoms, it took enough of the pain away so that I could withstand traveling longer distances to better doctors who finally took me seriously. Slowly the diagnosis started rolling in and I began treatments that allowed me to grow my quality of life and my work-from-home business. I still use kratom in combination with the treatments prescribed by my doctors. No treatment can ever take all the pain away. But I feel more confident and secure knowing I have kratom in my arsenal or treatments. Today I have grown my work-from-home business to the point of landing a dream job as head teaching assistant at Harvard Extension School and pursuing my passion for helping cats as CEO of Cat Patch Inc. a non-profit. I know without a shadow of a doubt that kratom played a significant role in allowing me to earn and fulfill the requirements of these opportunities as well as regain a happy quality of life."