I am the Executive Director of The Where You’re At Foundation in Henrico, VA. We work directly to save the lives of people who use drugs and people with Substance Use Disorder. People use Kratom for a multitude of reasons ie depression, anxiety, pain management, & harm reduction. Scheduling Kratom will cause all of the people using it to search for relief from Illicit Substances. Even people who misuse Kratom are alive today because it is keeping them off of Heroin and Fentanyl. And as somebody who does not want to see MORE PEOPLE DIE, I have to implore you to NOT schedule Kratom. This would be a grave mistake and exacerbate the overdose crisis, not just for people with Substance Use Disorder, but people who use Kratom to find relief from legitimate health issues. The majority of people who use Kratom do NOT misuse it. It is not a dangerous Substance. And scheduling it will not keep off of it. It will just force them to turn to more deathly substances. Please help keep our loved ones safe by NOT scheduling Kratom, or you will literally have blood on your hands!