With the fentanyl crisis in high gear people are dying by the boatload every 5mins in this country.  I was once a fentanyl addict for 3 years until one day I found myself wanting to stop. That’s when I found kratom and it saved my life. Without it I would be dead.  I was looking for something that wasn’t a prescription drug peddled by big pharma. Something that won’t make things worse than they already are.  Suboxone and methadone are the only 2 options for those trying to get off fentanyl or any other opioids. And those are very powerful and extremely addicting compared to kratom. I chose kratom Because it’s a natural and safer alternative to those. And Kratom by itself is not an opioid. Kratom has little to no effect on me. Literally 0 feeling of euphoria or anything.  It just helps you feel better when you’re in withdrawal from opioids.  I’m not the only person who kratom saved. There are people in Virginia that benefit heavily from kratom and it saves them every single day by keeping them off hard drugs or even those that suffer with chronic pain. Kratom helps those people. And if you ban this plant you will effectively be killing people. People will go back to fentanyl, people will start to die Becuase of the decision to ban kratom. Historically prohibition has never worked and will only push things underground. The Virginia government could Benefit from all the tax revenue that the Kratom industry provides. I’m telling you. If this bill is signed you will see a massive uptick in overdose related deaths and the people suffering from chronic pain or addiction that have no insurance and low income will have no choice but to go back to taking fentanyl.  Don’t do it. Have a heart. This plant has never killed anybody in history.  Has been used for centuries in Thailand with zero deaths. And same here. Anything you see online or tv is mass propaganda paid for and orchestrated by the big pharmaceutical companies. They hate the fact that people are getting better and finding safer alternatives to the deadly opioids they are selling.  And even for those who have chronic pain a lot of those people can’t get opioids so where are they to go ? To the streets. Again. People will die if this bill is passed. If you really cared about your people this bill should not be passed. This plant is the future of opioid drug treatment and has helped millions including myself get off hard drugs. Again it’s just a plant. It isn’t killing anybody unless 100 tons falls on top of you. If you do research and listen to what the American Kratom association has to say they will tell you everything you need to know.  Thank you for reading. I am just a concerned citizen of America that loves what this plant has done for me. And I only wish that this plant will be available to those in Virginia who are looking for a way out of the dark hole which is synthetic opioid addiction.