Please follow the example of Maryland and many other states, which have passed some version of the Kratom Consumer Protection Act. One bumper-sticker truth which happens to be the literal truth is that kratom is "safer than peanuts," meaning that fewer people have died, or die each year, from exposure to kratom than die from allergic reactions to peanuts. That's funny: but if you're going to measure in absolute terms, in numbers of deaths, kratom is also safer than aspirin, acetaminophen, and caffeine, not to mention cannabis, tobacco, and alcohol. The two alkaloids specifically mentioned in the petition are difficult to separate from the natural plant, in which they appear in very small quanitities, which is perhaps the primary reason why the pharmaceutical industry has not successfully commercialized a kratom-based product. It is the natural plant which ought to remain legal, and regulated, just as coffee and tea and aspirin are legal and regulated. I have used kratom every day for over 10 years without serious negative side effects, whereas I choose not to drink to excess or use cannabis at all because they affect my ability to function. For me, kratom is an antidepressant; but for many friends of mine, it has been a lifesaver in transitioning AWAY from opiate addiction or for dealing privately and safely with chronic, intractable pain. Kratom has saved many of our lives. Please protect our access to it.