I oppose the petition on Kratom. I have suffered from chronic pain for past 10yrs due to an on the job injury while working as a nursing tech. At age 33 my 15yr career was over and my dreams of furthering myself in the healthcare field was destroyed. I was also a single mother caring for two young children and since I could no longer work due to pain financial hardship was looming over my head. I eventually started seeing a doctor who prescribed me pain medication that helped me to be able to function better and I was then able to begin working again on part time with the option of more hours when capable then after a few years the DEA & CDC swooped in with their MME guidelines and began shutting down doctors whom prescribed options. My doctor was put under the microscope and unable to prescribe medications and then shut down,  medications were stopped immediately and without warning, medications that helped myself and so many others live mostly pain free and productive lives. I was left to suffer through horrible withdrawal symptoms with no medical help that lasted over 2 months. I was on the verge of ending my life as I was in horrible pain and unable to function, and again I was left unable to work or be a mother to my children, I also developed Restless Leg Syndrome during this time which was the icing on the cake. I then found Kratom and started taking it and was able to get back to being a functional human being and a present parent, the suicidal thoughts left and I was able to start my own business, pay off debt and I became a first time home owner. I was eventually able to find and get in with another doctor who until this day has been providing treatment for my issues with chronic pain. I no longer use Kratom and was never addicted or experienced ill side effects but I'm so thankful to have had access to it as it literally saved my life and made it better. I know so many people who have been able to overcome serious drug addiction with the help of Kratom and they are now living happy healthy lives. The only reason I can see why anyone would want to criminalize Kratom is because it's competition to the pharmaceutical companies. In this day and age people still go without insurance and the ones that do have it do not get treated properly so why take away and criminalize something that helps people who so desperately need it?