Hello all, I am a skateboarder and powerline man suffering from chronic pain. Since they have cut out pain management, many individuals have turned to street opiates, igniting an epidemic of abuse in this country. While many have turned to kratom, there are many of us who receive zero benefit from kratom itself. There is also alkaloids such as 7-hydroxymitragynine, which have shown great potential in pain mitigation. I for one have used this substance with great success, and now there is a looming ban to affect all those who find relief from this awesome compound. Many individuals claim it is unnatural, though it occurs naturally in trace amounts of kratom itself, and is an active metabolite of mitragynine(the main alkaloid found in kratom). Although it is a active metabolite, many individuals are poor metabolizers of this compound and therefore receive zero benefit from the plant leaves alone. Furthermore, 7oh is no more dangerous than kratom itself, it is still a partial agonist, showing zero respiratory depression, and is relatively safe. They have written a bill to ban this substance which may take effect September 2025.

It has been proven time and time again, that prohibition does not work! Prohibition only allows criminal enterprises to profit off a given substance, add dangerous adulterants, and produce in a “dirty” manner resulting in dangerous byproducts. A ban will not keep people from using, or abusing a given substance, it only makes it more dangerous. If a ban is to come into place, we will see more individuals turn to dangerous street drugs, and the death toll WILL rise. Keeping this compound available will keep people off the street and reduce fatal overdoses from dangerous compounds such as fentanyl and nitazenes. 

It is imperative that we act immediately to petition against further prohibition! Already a bill(SB 1868) has been pushed forward in Texas to ban this compound and already in effect in other conservative states. The nationwide ban is on the way, and it will only hurt American citizens, particularly the ones who suffer dearly from chronic pain. We must act now!! Please show your support, and do not let the lobbyists win in this fight against our rights to live happily and pain free!!! Stop the madness!! A war on drugs is a war on us!!!