Kratom saved me from spiraling into the dark pit of alcoholism. Before I started using the Kratom leaf responsibly, I was a binge drinker. I firmly believe and can attest to that the Kratom leaf saved me from furthering my alcohol consumption, losing my family, job, and dying young. My experience with Kratom has always been and always will be with the raw, pure, Kratom leaf. The man-manipulated synthetics (7-OH extracts) can be dangerous BUT not the raw, plain, Kratom leaf. Plain Kratom leaf sold by reputable vendors is ENTIRELY different than the man-manipulated 7-hydroxymitragynine that has very high addiction levels and bad withdrawals. It is my firm stance, both from anecdotal and peer-reviewed studies, that the raw, pure, plain, Kratom plant/leaf saves lives, is safe in moderation, and has helped a vast amount of the population overcome opioid, alcohol, and benzodiazepine addictions. I believe it is an overreach to ban, schedule, and illegalize the raw Kratom plant. Kratom saves lives and I am one of those lives.

Natural Kratom has helped change my life in so many ways, I’m 10 years sober from alcohol and pain pills.

Kratom has helped me become a better father and overall person, the fact that this government or people in power are trying to make this natural plant illegal makes me sick.

Knowing alcohol kills 2 million people a year ( not including the innocent lives that are lost from dui crashes) not only that but it ruins families and yet I can walk into any store and restaurant and drink it, it has absolutely no medicinal value whatsoever but yet Kratom is the problem?

Kratom has helped keep my chronic migraines under control and has helped me get off pain killers.

Occasional use for supporting sleep and analgesia. I've never taken anything so effective with zero side effects. It just works.

For a friend with fibromyalgia, it's made all the difference -- everyday functioning is possible again.

Kratom has helped me over the past decade to live a normal life. I buy from a vendor that is lab-tested for me, not this synthetic stuff that is stigmatizing real Kratom. Please don't punish all for some bad eggs in the bowl.

Kratom has enabled me to work and provide for my family. I'm in chronic pain because I'm a laborer, and like so many other people, we get ignored. People who suffer in pain on a daily basis—some after 40 years of work—God gives me the ability to work without being on prescription pain medication or worse.

Please rescind the ban for leaf and powder. If you want to go after the 7-OH people, those are the ones selling the illicit things in gas stations and making people addicted. I've been using Kratom powder for over 10 years with no ill effects, and my physician is fully aware of it.

Please rescind this ban; you're making a massive mistake, and you're hurting the Commonwealth and its laborers—the hard workers of Massachusetts.

It got me off opioids! These people in power, getting paid off by the pharmaceutical companies—they want everyone back on opioids!

I am writing to ask you to please don't ban Kratom leaf. Please regulate it.

Kratom Leaf has saved my life. I suffer from spinal stenosis, degenerative arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, and fibromyalgia.

I have been using Kratom safely along with thousands in the Kratom community. Kratom Leaf is not the problem; it's 7-OH.

Banning this, I'm afraid, is going to send people to the streets to buy drugs and possibly even contemplate suicide. I would not want to live without this plant. I had addiction problems my whole life, and now I'm clean. Kratom has given me the ability to cope without the high. It's a safer alternative to opioids. Kratom has given me my life back.

After years of struggling with a severe alcohol addiction—drinking heavily to cope with life—I was able to successfully ween down and quit with the help of kombucha and, eventually, natural leaf kratom.

Unlike concentrated extracts, I use tested, high-quality natural leaf kratom. At a low dose, it gives me a clean, balanced sense of motivation and optimism, helping me stay focused, handle daily stress, and deal with physical aches. Thanks to kratom, I have been completely sober from alcohol for over 4 years. It has helped me rebuild healthy routines, like eating properly and taking care of myself, all without unwanted side effects.

I use kratom daily to stay productive at work—where I am a federal employee and USPS custodian—and while volunteering to clean parks and beaches. I also proudly served as a 68W Army medic.

Kratom is a personal tool, just like caffeine, diet, or exercise; it isn't for everyone, but it works for responsible adults. Blanket bans and criminalization destroy communities and label otherwise law-abiding citizens as criminals. Prohibition has historically failed, whether with alcohol or anything else. We need education, responsible regulation, and maturity—not government overreach that strips away personal freedom.