On January 17th, 2020, Senator Charles Younger introduced a bill to the house that will effectively ban Kratom for all purposes. Many current scientific studies indicate that Kratom is a safe and effective alternative to opioid medications. Many people are greatly benefiting from the use of Kratom to get off of addictive pain medications safely. Others are benefiting from the use of Kratom to control and combat anxiety, depression, and addiction. While some regulation of Kratom would be beneficial for both consumers and businesses, an outright ban, or a classification of Kratom as a Schedule 1 narcotic, would be a severe setback for many businesses and Kratom consumers in the state of Mississippi. This bill is nothing more than a knee-jerk reaction to a non-existent problem. If an outright ban is passed, this bill will be a gravely unjust abuse of power by the state government, effectively creating many more problems than what it's attempting to solve. The ban of Kratom will have a negative impact on the battle against opioid related overdoses we are currently experiencing within the state. The science is very clear that not one death has occurred directly from Kratom usage. We seek to move towards safe, effective regulation of Kratom. Do not take this beneficial plant away from the many, many people who are utilizing its properties!