I’m living proof of how life-changing 7-hydroxymitragynine, a key compound in kratom, can be. When I was stuck in the nightmare of opioid addiction, when every traditional treatment failed and every new medication just added more painful side effects, 7-hydroxymitragynine, and kratom, gave me something nothing else could: a way out.

7-hydroxymitragynine was the only thing that eased my withdrawal symptoms when everything else failed. It gave me a real shot at recovery at a time when I was losing hope. Without it, I honestly don’t know where I’d be today. And I know I’m not alone, thousands of others have found the same hope and healing through 7-OH, and kratom.

But now that hope is at risk. Bill NC-H468 would regulate 7-hydroxymitragynine in a way that could make it harder, maybe even impossible, for people like me to access it. If this bill passes, it won’t just change a policy, it will slam the door shut on recovery for so many North Carolinians.

This isn’t about politics. It’s about real people. It's about mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, and friends who are fighting for their lives against opioid addiction. It's about giving them every possible chance to survive and heal.

And the science backs us up. Research, including studies by the American Addiction Centers, shows that kratom, and especially 7-hydroxymitragynine, has real potential to help with opioid withdrawal and support recovery. For many of us, it’s not just a supplement. It’s not a luxury. It’s a lifeline.

We should be making it easier for people to find help, not harder. We should be opening more doors to recovery, not closing them.

Passing NC-H468 would ignore the voices of people like me. It would turn away from a safe, effective option that’s already saving lives. We can’t let that happen.

Today, I’m grateful for the life I have, a life free from the chains of opioid addiction. But I’m speaking up not just for myself, I’m fighting for everyone still struggling, and for anyone who might need this lifeline one day.

I’m asking you: Please stand with us. Protect access to kratom. Protect access to 7-hydroxymitragynine. Keep this critical tool available to those who need it most.

Sign the petition. Share it with your friends, your family, your community. Every signature is a voice for recovery, a voice for hope, and a voice against addiction.

Together, we can send a powerful message: North Carolina must not take away a life-saving tool. Together, we can make a real difference.