On June 1, 2018, as the result of a botched lumbar microdiscectomy, my son, who was 47 years old then, was left with an incurable condition referred to as adhesive arachnoiditis (AA). AA is incurable, is often progressive, debilitating and definitely life altering. The neurologic sequelae of AA are numerous ranging from severe lower extremity pain, severe burning or crawling insect like sensations, tinnitus, blurred vision, head fog and the list goes on. There are reports that characterize AA as “the worst condition that can happen to a human being”. The only treatments offered by the medical community are symptomatic with opioids, the drugs of choice for severe pain and high doses of NSAIDS. The NSAIDs are minimally effective and must be taken in doses that can’t be tolerated for any length of time without gastric damage. Opioids, to be effective, alter one’s ability to function with clarity, hinder work performance and are notoriously highly addictive. My son Steve is a Rutgers accounting graduate who had established a successful business based on his passion for the guitar.

He’s also a luthier and guitar instructor. All of the aforementioned require clarity of mind, concentration, manual dexterity and a high level of energy and stamina. We feared that he would lose everything he built until he discovered Kratom through an AA group. Using Kratom has allowed Steve to successfully maintain his position in LA as guitar instructor for students internationally, Google employees, operate 3 repair locations and occasionally perform with his band. Without Kratom none of this would be possible. Again, based upon current medical assessments, Steve will never be cured and he will have flare ups but, with Kratom he has a full productive life. That can’t be said for opioids, NSAIDS, gabapentin et al. Additionally I’ve utilized Kratom , if only to verify its efficacy, for symptomatic treatment of both shoulder and hip pain as a result of injury. After doing so, I can honestly report that papers I’ve read from the Mayo Clinic and even Web MD are grossly misleading. There was no “high” or inability to function at any level. There were no side effects or physical addiction as with opioids. Over the past 7 years Steve had very brief periods during which he discontinued Kratom without any symptoms other than a coffee enthusiast experiencing a slight headache after sudden stoppage of caffeine. Any report of negative effects of Kratom, including death, as in Thailand, will be found to have the user mixing Kratom with their usual and other drugs in an effort to obtain a greater “high”. Never Kratom alone. To prohibit and worse criminalize Kratom, which has been used safely for over 2000 years, without even offering a truly viable substitute is the real criminal action.

“I am an NJ resident and I have been using Kratom for almost 8 years to control unbearable pain and depression from RA and chronic Lyme.

I use the pure leaf from Carolina Kratom daily and it’s enabled me to return to work, be productive and function - basically. I do annual bloodwork and have no liver elevation - but if I’d been on prednisone I would probably have liver damage by now. It also helped me stop drinking, which I was doing to numb the endless pain.

I tried pharmaceuticals and had horrible reactions, and I didn’t want to do heavy painkillers as two of my young male friends perished from addiction to oxycodone after injuries, with no previous history of drug or alcohol use.

I’ve studied the case of CJ’s law and I think it’s a violation of the constitution and the freedom of Americans to ban Kratom - especially as CJ had many other substances in his system including high doses of Ritalin which is known to trigger cardiac arrest.

To appease the case -

I would suggest banning sales under 21 as it shouldn’t be recreational

Banning the concentrates which are dangerous and allowing only pure leaf products that can show lab tests to prove their safety. You could force all Kratom products to carry a warning label. At the worst, you could ban sales at smoke stores within NJ but NOT possession.

If you criminalize the possession of Kratom you will be condemning me, and many others to return to a life of pain and suffering - and the dangers of pharmaceutical pain killers. I don’t even do well on weed, which is legal in NJ.

It’s very hard to survive long term depression. It takes a lot of energy to keep going and without K, that would mean putting MY health and life at risk because nothing else worked for me.

“I have been a chronic pain patient since 2009, with a history of several health issues dating back to my teens. I was on strong opioid medications for many years that gave me a chance at a normal life. Until 2016 and the opioid hysteria hit. My doctor retired and within 50 miles nobody would take on a prescription maintenance patient even with impeccable records. I was dropped cold turkey and spent 6 months bedridden with pain. Until I found kratom.

It’s given me the chance to be a parent and member of society again. It’s NOT addictive like the opioids were. I don’t panic if I run out. Please don’t punish law abiding members of society because someone is convinced it was the downfall of their family member. This simple plant, much like the coffee plant which is very much legal, has helped me to be ME again and not strapped to pharmaceutical companies for relief.

I beg you not to turn a bunch of law-abiding citizens into criminals because we decide to handle our wellness with a plant rather than pharmaceuticals.

“I’m a 69 year old retired architectural consultant, I have been self-employed all my life and am now running a boathouse for kayaks and paddle sports in my retirement.

I’ve been a regular kratom user for over 5 years and have been a supporter of common sense regulation of Kratom as proposed in the Kratom Protection act S1476. I have found use of kratom helpful with my aging symptoms including pronounced arthritis in feet and neck, less than perfect knee replacement issues, as well as mild anxiety control.

The public should have safe access to this product but know that it's being sourced without adulteration and in a controlled way.

I do not use any other substance such as marijuana, alcohol, controlled substances. or any prescription drugs other than common anti-inflammatory meds

“I discovered kratom when looking for an alternative to Pharma prescription anxiety meds I was taking. I did not like the side effects of the prescription the dr gave me after taking it for a little less than a year. I stumbled upon kratom when searching. I gave it a try and it has changed my life for the better

It helps with my anxiety as well as provide motivation, energy and just positive, feel good feelings throughout the day. It is also very good at boosting your immune system, as I have not gotten as sick as I used to before using kratom. I notice the illnesses aren't as harsh and prolonged.

“Kratom literally saved my life, and many will say the same. I have taken kratom on a daily basis since 2015. It has allowed me to continue working and vastly improve my quality of life. I have been able to start a successful business and career because of kratom. I have experienced no negative side effects, apart from occasional constipation, but I have a previously damaged intestinal tract.

I have had Ectopic Endometriosis, depression, and anxiety for over 2 decades, and kratom has helped with these. There is no cure for Endometriosis, aside from surgery, including a full hysterectomy. My Endometriosis went undiagnosed for 7 years, because I had no insurance. I would get extreme pain for about a week every month, because the Endo had grown into my appendix, fused my large and small intestines together in multiple spots, grown into my urinary tract, burned my sciatica nerves, wrapped around my tailbone, fused some of my back muscles to my intestines, turned my cervix into "swiss cheese", and entered my gall bladder. When I finally got insurance in year seven, my doctor said it was stage 4 and one of the worst cases he had ever seen.

For seven years, I had no insurance and would have to go to the ER in agony every month during my period. It turned out that this was because the Endo all over my body was bleeding, spreading, and contracting during that time. Since it was in my appendix, I was, in effect, getting appendicitis every month for seven years. lost several jobs, our home, almost lost my marriage, and couldn't deal with it any more after seven years. So during one attack, after a doctor refused to treat me yet again, I tried to kill myself by swallowing a full bottle of Benadryl.

My husband rushed me back to the ER and saved my life. I lay in the ICU for a week. Unfortunately, I knew the pain would return a month later, and once released I was back where I started from. I lay in bed unwilling to move. I had lost hope. I was severally depressed, having daily panic attacks, and my family was homeless. All because doctors wouldn't operate without insurance. This continued on for some time, until my husband heard about kratom from someone who also said it had "saved their life". They were an ex heroin addict, and had taken kratom to help them get clean. It helped them through the withdrawal of quitting heroin. When they were done quitting heroin, they stopped taking kratom with no addiction to it. There is no addiction to kratom - there is no such thing. I was skeptical when my husband told me about kratom. How could a natural remedy possibly help me? But I had to try it, because there was literally no other option. In the U.S. doctors no longer treat pain or anxiety with any effectiveness. The opioid epidemic has caused them to cease prescribing anything with the possibility of addiction. I know several chronic pain patients and people with PTSD who have killed themselves, because their quality of life had been destroyed. The rest turned to kratom. Our one option, our life saver, the reason we can go back to work and hold our families. Not doctors, not their drugs, but kratom. There are no dangerous side effects to kratom, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I have taken it every day now since 2015, and I know. If you allow these doctors to take our kratom from us, you will be ruining the lives of millions. That is how many rely on kratom to treat problems that doctors won't treat without insurance or just flat out won't treat anymore.

Yes, kratom improves moderate pain. Yes, it improves anxiety and depression. Yes, it improves energy levels. No it is not dangerous, and no it does not kill people. It's safer than the medications doctors would prescribe to treat these illnesses. The kratom retailers now also run standardized tests on every batch, for a few years now, with results posted on their websites. This is due to the hard work of the American Kratom Association who are working towards the Kratom Constant Protection Act, which I do support.

"I am a chronic pain patient who suffers from a rare intractable neuropathic disease which causes the highest known pain to man, complex regional pain syndrome. On the mcgills pain scale it is listed as the highest pain even over finger amputation or cancer. I had been with a pain doctor for years doing all sorts of infusions and taking oral meds and stable for the most part. Abruptly my dr closed and I was forced into immediate withdrawal facing pain that was making me suicidal. Kratom saved my life! If it wasn’t for kratom I wouldn’t be here I would have given up by now. I found kratom through my boyfriend who’s taken kratom consistently over the past decade for pain issues. Thanks to kratom we have something for when we’re abandoned by the medical doctors. Thank you.”

“I am a 28 year military veteran and currently a Deputy Fire Chief. I suffer from back and hip pain and PTSD with anxiety. I started Kratom in 2015 after searching for natural alternatives to RX pain meds. It helped right way with the pain. I also noticed it reduced a lot of my PTSD and anxiety symptoms. I was able to fully function again. As an unintended effect, kratom took away my urge to drink alcohol. I drank quite a bit to deal with the PTSD. Now I no longer desire alcohol and barely drink a beer from time to time.”

"I was an intravenous heroin user for over 10 years until I found Kratom. I was in and out of rehabs and could not stay clean. I finally went to a detox and came out and found Kratom. I did my research started taking the Kratom fast forward to five years later and I am clean I only take Kratom. I am in the process of buying a house I got married I have a beautiful family. Kratom has saved my life."

"Kratom has really helped me in my menopause journey. I’m able to function and go to work, get the proper rest and curb the sweats and hot flashes, all with Kratom."

"It helps fight pain without decreasing respiration. Therefore, it can't cause an overdose like an opioid. There is very little that is safe to fight pain. This is one that is."

"I have been using powdered kratom leaf for over 15 years to help manage nerve pain from an old injury and amputation, as well as worsening arthritis. I have a wife of 13 years, own a house, and I've had the same job working for a large NYC non profit. Kratom has helped me live a full and meaningful life, and kept me fit enough to do the things I enjoy doing.“