I was 14 years old when I was first diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, sense that diagnosis I have been put on more than two dozen prescription medications to treat my condition, with no avail. Some of the medications I was prescribed were able to treat my symptoms for a period of time but would soon there after stop working. Some of the more recognized and more serious of the drugs include; Methadone, MS-Contin, Vicodin, Norco, Ultram (which gave me seizures) Valium, Adderall, Ritalin, Vivanse, Lyrica and Cymbalta. Needless to say I have had my share of bad side effects. Through DNA Testing and life experience I have learned that my body metabolizes drugs in a different way than most other people's, lending more seriousness to the process of medication selection. I don't know why my body metabolizes drugs this way but it's my opinion that If we could answer that question, we would be a lot closer to understanding how Fibromyalgia works and how to treat it. Until that day, the best treatment that I have found for my ailment is a tea made from the leaf of Mitragyna Speciosa. Native to South East Asia the tree also know as Kratom is an evergreen belonging to the (Rubiaceae) Family. This is the same family of trees that brings that cup of Joe into our lives every morning. Since discovering Kratom I have been able to successfully stop taking all narcotic pain medications, all SSRI psychotropic drugs and reduce my dose of adderall by half. Aside from those benefits I have also been able to get back to work, purchase a new vehicle and move to a warmer more fibro friendly climate. By signing this petition you are not just helping me but also helping the thousands of others with Fibromyalgia and other like conditions who have found this herb to be the most adequate treatment for them. Fibromyalgia is very poorly understood and to date only has two FDA approved drug to treat It with. These drugs come with extremely risky side effects both of which include suicide and death on there black box warning label. Kratom has not yet been FDA approved but given the serious risks that I just mentioned as well as the recent studies done by The University Of Mississippi as well as Temple University of Medicine on the benefits of Kratom and its use as a medicine, statistically my best choice is to continue with the program that I am already on and is already working for me. I was already confident in this decision but became even more so through my research when i learned that we the people have already funded the research for and filed a patent on a medicine made of Synthetic Kratom alkaloids. The University of Mississippi and The University of Massachusetts, with the assistance of a Government grant have filed the patent below. The fine print entitles our Government as well as you and I by proxy to "certain rights" STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENTAL SUPPORT[0001]This invention was made with government support awarded by: i) the National Institutes of Health (grant number NIH 022677); ii) the National Institute For Drug Abuse (grant numbers DA022677 and DA014929); and iii) the National Center for Research Resources (grant number P20RR021929). The government has certain rights in the invention. http://www.google.com/patents/US20100209542 The issue that I am facing is that the state I live in (FL) has had a bill proposed in the House of Representatives by Rep (D) Kristin Jacobson that would overnight make this life changing herbal illegal for me to continue treatment with. Though it is the same bill proposed twice before and voted down, my family and I cannot afford for this treatment to be made illegal. Even if I could afford the thousands of dollars a year in prescription costs for the only two FDA approved medications for my ailment, they do not work. Not only is this patch much safer as well as significantly more cost effective, its also the only treatment plan for me that includes improvements in my symptoms and a future where I am able to work. I am asking you to sign this petition to show your support as I ask the Florida House Of Representatives not to change the legal status of Mitragyna Speciosa. By Signing you will be helping me to live the rest of my life as normally as I can, enjoy the company of my family and experience some form of relief from the unimaginably difficult disorder that is Fibromyalgia. Thank you for reading all of this, I appreciate you taking the time to read about my situation. If you have any questions that I can answer you can reach me at KeepKratomLegalInFlorida@gmail.com thank you again and God bless. Sincere