couldn't have said it better. I am almost 69, and can either sit home in pain and cry, lay on a railroad track, (which I actually thought about) or consume a plant that will NEVER get FDA approval because no one can make a profit on it. I use it carefully, know where I buy it, know the quality since I use the same vendors, and have done hundreds of hours of research on Kratom.

I know MANY people who were addicted to opiates, mostly accidentally due to free flowing prescriptions handed out for everything that hurt, who are no longer taking opiates due to Kratom. Does it affect the pain center of your brain? Sure. Am I risking something unknown by using it? Sure. But do smokers, drinkers, obese people also take health risks? Absolutely. I do not drink, smoke, am 108 lbs. and workout 3-4 times a week. I can do that because my pain is REDUCED, not completely eliminated. But pain reduction can make life worth living, not just existing.

I will continue to take the risk, and the Kratom Association has so many members now that they have become a powerful lobby in Washington. We shall see how it all plays out.