Keep Kratom Legal in Kansas

This petition is in response to the approved Senate Bill 282 that would list mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine as Schedule 1 controlled substances. Both compounds are found in a natural-growing plant commonly called kratom.
A ban on kratom will have an immediate and detrimental impact on the health of thousands of Kansas citizens who have chosen kratom as an all-natural, safer alternative to the prescription drugs they would otherwise be forced to take for their medical conditions.
It is my belief that scheduling kratom will result in the deaths of many Kansans whose medical conditions are properly controlled by the use of kratom. Making kratom a Schedule 1 narcotic would force many of these people back onto prescription drugs that may not be effective for them. Many others will refuse to return to those drugs because of the side effects, addiction potential, and long-term health effects that come with their use. They will exchange those conditions for chronic pain, and many other terrible afflictions. Still others who have used kratom as an effective treatment for addiction to heroin, alcohol or prescription opioids will likely relapse and return to those drugs. The consequences of this will also spike the numbers of deaths related to suicide and overdose. That is an outcome that can be diverted, as kratom does not pose a significant threat to the health of the public.