By Journal Staff
The three members of the Revere Board of Health (BoH), chair Dr. Drew Bunker and fellow members Kathleen Savage and Viviana Catano, voted unanimously to ban the sale of all kratom products in the city at the BoH’s regular monthly meeting last Thursday, June 25.
Kratom is a natural substance derived from the leaves of a tree that has been used safely in Southeast Asia for hundreds of years. Users assert that it boosts energy, relieves chronic pain, eases anxiety and depression, and can assist with opioid withdrawal symptoms.
However, in its synthetic, highly-concentrated form, it is an addictive and dangerous substance. Since there is no regulation of kratom products at either the state or federal levels, synthetic kratom has been sold to unknowing consumers, often leading to addiction and death.
The board first discussed the issue at its February meeting and had held a public hearing at its meeting in May at which the members and the public discussed the draft regulations for the potential ban. The dilemma for the members was whether to ban all kratom products, both natural and synthetic, or only ban the synthetic version of the drug,
However, at the conclusion of last month’s pubic hearing, it was clear that the consensus among the members was that until the state legislature — which has several bills pending — adopts regulations that distinguish between the natural and synthetic versions of the substance with proper testing, the city should ban the sale of all products containing kratom.
Many communities in Massachusetts have issued regulations for the sale of kratom, including outright bans of all kratom products.
The actual vote of the board members to ban the sale of kratom proved to be a bit anticlimactic, with the board discussing the matter for only slightly more than two minutes. Bunker noted that the board had discussed the issue at length at the previous meetings and the only real issue was the starting date of the ban.
After Director of Public Health Lauren Buck said that the Health Dept. would need some time to educate retailers about the ban, the members voted to adopt the new regulations with a starting date of September 1.
In other business at the meeting, Buck presented the Communicable Disease monthly report. Buck noted that May saw a low rate of communicable diseases in the city, which is to be expected at this time of year.
Buck said that there were only four reported cases of the flu and two for Lyme Disease. As to the latter, Buck said the figure probably represents an undercount. “We are in the middle of prime tick season,” Buck said.
Buck also noted that the FDA has approved a new sunscreen that contains the ingredient bemotrizinol, which has been used for more than two decades in other countries and that provides strong protection against UVA and UVB rays.
She mentioned that an organic baby formula has been tied to cases of botulism across the country. Parents of infants can find information about the outbreak on the Board of Health website.
Michael Wells, who serves as the city’s Health Agent and Director of Inspectional Services, presented the monthly report of the Inspectional Services Dept. Wells said that in the past month, ISD issued 52 certificates of fitness for housing units; performed 30 reinspections; and conducted 14 interior complaint inspections and reinspections. There also were 10 pool and spa inspections and reinspections.
In the food department, ISD performed 28 routine food inspections, four reinspections, three complaint inspections, two pre-opening inspections, and 35 temporary food inspections.
In the exterior sanitation division, ISD agents issued 369 total citations for trash violations; 26 for overflowing dumpsters; 19 for junk heaps, dumps, and automobile graveyards; five for multiple unregistered motor vehicles, and 365 violations for unclean and unsanitary land, which is overgrowth.
The final matter on the agenda was the request for a new chicken-keeping license by Anna Berio of 135 Washington Ave. After Buck recommended that the board approve the license, the members did so unanimously.