HomeMy WebLinkAboutEmail-Twinkle VanFleet (Item 13)From:
Lynch, Breanna
To:
City Clerk
Subject:
FW: Please Do Not Ban Kratom
Date:
Tuesday, November 4, 2025 12:37:10 PM
Attachments:
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Breanna Lynch
Senior Executive Coordinator
Ed
300 Centennial Way, Tustin, CA 92780
P:714-573-3012
i L 'JS "r1N blynch(a).tustinca.ora I tustinca.ora
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From: Twinkle VanFleet <
Tuesday, November 4, 2025 12:30 PM
To: City Council <citycouncil@tustinca.org>
Subject: Please Do Not Ban Kratom
Good afternoon, Chair and Members of the Committee. Thank you for allowing me
the opportunity to share my story. My name is Twinkle VanFleet. I am a lifelong
Californian, a healthcare advocate, and a patient living with Complex Regional Pain
Syndrome, also called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy. It is a rare, progressive
neuroinflammatory disease so painful that it's nicknamed the "suicide disease."
Additionally, I live with multiple chronic illnesses and intractable conditions- both
congenital and acquired. I was a compliant pain management patient for 12 years,
relying on a spinal cord stimulator and a low dose of prescribed medication. But in
2016, at the height of the CDC opioid recommendations, I was abruptly dismissed
from care. My medications were cut off without warning, and I went through
dangerous cold -turkey withdrawals from opioids, antidepressants, and
anticonvulsants. My stimulator has been broken and unmanaged since. I spiraled into
depression, suicidal thoughts, and alcohol misuse just to dull the pain. I felt
abandoned by the system. I was held in a psychiatric unit in 2016 and again in 2017
for being a danger to myself. In that darkness, I turned to Kratom. And later, at times
of severe flares since March of 2024- 7-Hydroxymitragynine, or 70H. For nearly
seven years, Kratom has been my safe and effective daily support. It became my life
preserver. It eases my often unbearable chronic pain, helps with narcolepsy, lowers
my blood pressure, and most importantly- it gave me enough stability to achieve and
maintain seven years of sobriety from alcohol. I have experienced no harmful effects
other than increased pain if I skip it. 70H, though more potent, offers additional relief
when respected and taken responsibly, much like opioids should be. I do not deny
that dependency exists. But dependency is not the same as addiction. Kratom and
70H, when regulated properly, are far safer than the alternatives patients often turn to
when left untreated. That is why I strongly support Consumer Protection establishing
product safety through manufacturing standards, accurate labeling, third -party testing,
and age restrictions. Regulation protects consumers. Prohibition, on the other hand,
would only create unsafe black markets and leave patients like me without options.
Kratom and 70H are not luxuries for me- they are lifelines. Some days they allow me
to make dinner. Other days they allow me to survive a severe pain flare. Without
them, I don't know if I would still be here to speak with you today. Kratom allows me
to be with my grandchildren, 70H relieves me enough to actually play with them.
Please don't ban my blessing. I urge you: choose compassion and safety. Support
regulation, not prohibition. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely, Twinkle VanFleet — Healthcare Advocate, Sacramento, CA.