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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEcomment - Christopher Deaney (Item 9)From: noreplly(a aranicusideas.com To: Yasuda. Erica; Woodward. Carrie; E-Comments Subject: New eComment for Regular Meeting of the City Council/Special Closed Session -5:30pm/Reg ular Meeting-6:00pm Date: Tuesday, October 21, 2025 12:06:22 PM City of Tustin. CA New eComment for Regular Meeting of the City Council/Special Closed Session- 5:30pm/Regular Meeting-6:00pm Christopher Deaney submitted a new eComment. Meeting: Regular Meeting of the City Council/Special Closed Session-5:30pm/Regular Meeting- 6:00pm f[T�' i Z� : ► _ ► y iMOINIP11111111l1ilk[ewela_12Ia:9 6 i]91ra TUSTIN CITY CODE PROHIBITING THE SALE OF KRATOM PRODUCTS The City Attorney's office has prepared proposed amendments to Article 6 of the Tustin City Code to add a ban on the sale, distribution, and advertisement for sale of kratom products within the City. The proposed ordinance would ban the sale, distribution, and advertisement for sale of any product containing any part of the leaf of the plant Mitragyna speciosa (more commonly known as the kratom plant). The purpose of the ordinance is to protect the public health and welfare against the sale and distribution of products which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has identified as having opioid-like characteristics, and which pose a threat to the health and safety of the American Public. eComment: My name is Christopher, and I discovered Kratom in 2015 during one of the most challenging periods of my life. What began as a search for something to help me manage daily pain turned into a journey that completely reshaped my understanding of health, healing, and the natural world. At just eight years old, I was hit by a car. That one moment changed everything. Between the ages of eight and thirteen, I suffered roughly forty knee dislocations. By the time I was thirteen, I had undergone my first knee surgery. At twenty-two, I needed a second. Living in constant pain became my everyday life. I would wake up every day with one goal: to get through the pain just enough to function. Doctors prescribed a long list of medications over the years, strong ones. Demerol was part of my teenage routine. My tolerance was high early on, and like many in the same situation, I fell into a cycle of ever -stronger prescriptions to maintain some level of daily activity. Physical play as a kid? That was out of reach. Gym class? I was sidelined. Instead, I buried myself in learning about diet, nutrition, and exercise, even though I couldn't physically do most of it. That led to periods of weight gain, especially between surgeries. By sixteen, after my second surgery and a brief period of physical recovery, I worked hard to regain my strength using bodyweight exercises. Still, the pain never went away. And the prescriptions kept coming. In 2011, 1 had a major heart attack. Once again, doctors suggested opiates instead of NSAIDs and Aleve. It felt like I was being pushed right back into a system I had already spent years trying to survive. The cycle of pharmaceutical dependency was relentless, and it wasn't helping me live. It was just helping me cope. Then in 2015, everything started to change. I was at a breaking point, physically and emotionally. That's when I found Kratom. Then, in 2017, things worsened. I was diagnosed with aggressive squamous cell carcinoma. I broke five ribs from coughing alone. I didn't even know they were broken until after I had surgery to remove the cancer. It was a dark, confusing time, and the pain was overwhelming. In 2018, 1 was diagnosed with osteopenia. That's when the reality hit me: years of opioid use were catching up. I had to make a change. And that's when Kratom became more than just a curiosity. It became a lifeline. I began replacing pharmaceuticals and alcohol with natural options. I leaned into herbal remedies, especially Kratom, and for the first time in decades, I felt like I could breathe. I could move. I could live. Kratom has played a pivotal role in helping me reclaim my quality of life. It doesn't numb me out; it helps me stay clear, focused, and present. It gave me my life back in a way that prescriptions never did. And I'm not alone. Millions of Americans rely on real, traditionally prepared Kratom to manage their lives in a safer, more natural way. That's why protecting access to genuine, unadulterated Kratom is so essential not just for me, but for every person out there who's trying to find a way through pain, through hardship, without turning to addictive or dangerous options. This is also why the federal government itself is studying it. NIDA has now invested more than 100 million taxpayer dollars into kratom research, specifically for alcohol and opioid cessation, because scientists see measurable therapeutic potential in the natural leaf. And on July 29th, the FDA publicly clarified that its concern is with synthetic kratom derivatives, not natural kratom tea or plain leaf. The traditional plant that has been used safely for centuries is not the target, which shows how important it is to separate authentic kratom from chemically altered products. Nature gave us this plant for a reason. It's not about getting high. It's about finding balance, peace, and strength when nothing else seems to work. I believe in this plant and in fighting to keep it safe, legal, and available for anyone who needs it. Let's protect the authentic natural kratom because real lives depend on it. Thank you for your time, Christopher Deaney View and Analyze eComments This email was sent from https://tustin.aranicusideas.com Unsubscribe from future mailings