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Edit: Speech_on_Kratom_at_Bowtie_Cinema
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= Speech on Kratom at Bowtie Cinema = * First, I want to thank Dean for putting this event together <blockquote> * Let’s give him a round of applause * Because I’ll tell you, as a legislator, sometimes you introduce a bill and you don’t know if anyone will notice * And every once in a while, someone shows up out of the blue and pours everything they have into it * Their time, their energy, their voice * And for this bill, that person was Dean </blockquote> * And HB360, our kratom consumer protection bill, was one of those bills <blockquote> * I didn’t think it would get much attention * I thought it would be fairly quiet * Because when you say “kratom,” most people still don’t even know what that is * And this wasn’t a ban * It was a simple idea: give consumers clear information and basic protections </blockquote> * So I thought, who would oppose that <blockquote> * And I found out the answer very quickly * The American Kratom Association </blockquote> * Within a week, they were in our office asking us to rewrite the bill <blockquote> * Then they came back again * Then again * Then every single day </blockquote> * And from day one, they didn’t just disagree with us <blockquote> * They lied * They said you can’t overdose on kratom * They said it can’t hurt you * They said mitragynine and 7-OH are completely different <blockquote> * (conveniently they always left out the part where mitragynine turns into 7-OH) </blockquote> </blockquote> * But what stuck with me most wasn’t just the misinformation <blockquote> * It was when it became personal * They'd tell me one thing and tell my chief of staff something completely different * They'd go to the chair of a committee and tell him that I agreed to some amendment they drafted * They'd lie to our Administrative Assistant about having meetings scheduled * They spread lies about Dean * They called his son a liar * They invented conversations that never happened </blockquote> * It’s one thing to believe strongly in your product <blockquote> * It’s another to try to manipulate everyone around you * Because when you do that, it shows something very clearly * You don’t actually believe in your product * If your product was the miracle you claim it to be, then you wouldn't need to spin lies </blockquote> * Because the truth is this <blockquote> * Kratom is not harmless * Kratom is not risk-free * Kratom as a drug, is classified as an opioid * And Virginians deserve to know that </blockquote> * The opposition loved to play games with language; they love semantics <blockquote> * “This doctor is affiliated with a prestigious institution” * But maybe not anymore * "This expert is doing groundbreaking work in their field and they think kratom is great" * But they receive a paycheck from the AKA * “This is an opioid” * But only chemically, just ignore that it binds to the opioid receptor in your brain * Always just enough ambiguity to confuse people </blockquote> * But here’s what I’m proud of <blockquote> * My colleagues, Democrats and Republicans, delegates and senators, saw through it * Law enforcement saw through it * Local leaders saw through it * And now, Virginians will be able to see through it too </blockquote> * Because this bill is now law <blockquote> * And in about 70 days, these protections go into effect * It will be illegal to sell kratom without clear warnings * And every package will carry this label: <blockquote> * “Kratom may cause dependence and opioid-like withdrawal.” </blockquote> </blockquote> * That matters <blockquote> * Because people deserve to understand what they are putting into their bodies * And an industry built on deception has no place in our commonwealth </blockquote> * We’ve taken an important step toward protecting Virginians <blockquote> * And we’re sending a message beyond our state * That enough is enough * Consumers deserve the truth </blockquote> * And I’ll be honest <blockquote> * There is still more work to do * This issue is not going away * And I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues on what comes next </blockquote> * Thank you all for being here <blockquote> * And thank you for continuing this fight </blockquote>
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