Timothy should still be here.

Instead, we are left grieving a son, a loved one, and a life that was taken by a product that never should have been sold so casually. Kratom is marketed as a "natural supplement," but there is nothing safe about it. It is sold in gas stations and smoke shops, often with little or no warning about the dangers it poses.

Its most dangerous compound, 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), acts on the brain like an opioid and has been linked to seizures, hallucinations, liver failure, respiratory depression, addiction, and death. Timothy paid the ultimate price.

His death was preventable.

Kratom-related poisonings have surged by more than 1,200% over the past decade. The federal government has begun taking action by moving to classify high-concentration 7-OH products alongside the most dangerous controlled substances. But that is not enough.

We are calling on our elected officials to do what is necessary: ban all kratom products. No family should have to wonder whether the package sitting on a convenience store shelf will be the reason they lose someone they love.

Timothy's story is not just a statistic. He was a real person with a future, a family, and people who loved him deeply. We cannot bring him back, but we can fight to keep another family from experiencing this heartbreak.

Please sign this petition and demand that lawmakers ban all kratom products. Every signature is a voice for Timothy and for every family that deserves to be spared this kind of loss.

Protect our children. Protect our families. Ban all kratom. Put lives before profits.