Independence, But Not for Everyone

Today is July 4th—America’s birthday. Fireworks, parades, speeches, flags. We sing songs about liberty, we quote the Founders, we raise a toast to the idea that this country was built on freedom.

But how much freedom do we really have?

You can’t talk about liberty without talking about autonomy. Not just political autonomy, but bodily autonomy. That’s supposed to be sacred in a free nation. The right to live your life, to make decisions about your own body, your own health, and your own future—without needing permission from some bureaucrat or politician.

But the truth is, that kind of freedom is under siege.

Look at what’s happening across the country with Kratom. Or CBD. Or any plant that dares to give people relief outside of a prescription bottle.

These aren’t dangerous street drugs. They’re not synthetic lab poisons. These are natural tools—gifts, some would say—that have helped millions of Americans manage pain, anxiety, withdrawal, and more. And yet, states and federal agencies are trying to ban them. Regulate them into oblivion. Punish people for making their own choices.

All while opioid manufacturers walk away from one of the deadliest drug epidemics in human history with fines that barely scratch their profits.

You want to talk about freedom? Let’s talk about that.

Let’s talk about veterans who fought for this country only to come home and be told that the only legal pain relief they’re allowed is highly addictive, highly profitable, and often ineffective. Let’s talk about mothers with chronic conditions who find peace in a plant—only to have it taken away by a statehouse full of people who don’t even understand how it works.

Let’s talk about the word independence, and how it rings hollow if it doesn’t include independence of the mind, body, and spirit.

Kratom isn’t just a leaf. CBD isn’t just an oil. These are lifelines. And the people who rely on them aren’t criminals—they’re human beings exercising the most basic kind of liberty: the right to feel better, without asking for permission.

But somehow, that’s become a radical act.

So today, while we’re told to be grateful for our freedom, some of us are wondering: Freedom for who? And freedom to do what, exactly? Because it seems like every time a natural solution gains popularity—every time the people take health into their own hands—there’s a new push to outlaw it.

Maybe the truth is, freedom has always been conditional.

Conditional on money. On lobbyists. On politics. On which industries get protected and which ones get crushed.

But we’re not giving up. Because we believe that true liberty means something more than slogans on T-shirts and fireworks in the sky. It means something personal. Something human. It means standing up when the government tells you that your health doesn’t belong to you anymore.

Today, we don’t just celebrate independence—we demand it. For every person who has been helped by the leaf. For every family who found hope in a bottle of CBD. For every soul who decided that healing shouldn’t come with handcuffs.

This is our revolution. Quiet, maybe—but growing louder every day.

And we won’t stop until freedom means what it was always supposed to mean:

The right to choose what you put in your body.
The right to manage your own pain.
The right to thrive—without fear.

Because if that’s not worth fighting for, what is?