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Board alerted to kratom on store shelves; staff says state law only restricts synthetic products
Summary
MetroWest staff told the Southborough Board of Health that kratom products were available in local convenience stores and that some Massachusetts municipalities have banned kratom; staff said state law currently restricts synthetic kratom but not the natural botanical.
Board alerted to kratom on store shelves; staff says state law only restricts synthetic products
MetroWest tobacco control staff told the Southborough Board of Health on July 15 that kratom products are appearing for sale in local convenience stores and recommended the board consider a separate regulation if it wants to prohibit or restrict those products locally.
Pari Balak Telleg Govinden showed product packaging she bought from local retailers and said the items use botanical names and are presented similar to energy‑drink style packaging. She told the board these items “are becoming the like an opioid” and said they can produce opioid‑like effects when used inappropriately.
Govinden noted that state law, as she described it, prohibits the sale of synthetic kratom but does not ban natural kratom, and she said several Massachusetts communities have adopted local bans. At the meeting she cited a small number of Massachusetts localities that have enacted restrictions; she recommended the board consider a separate local regulation because kratom is not regulated as tobacco.
Board members asked follow‑up questions about how widespread sales are; staff said convenience stores carry some products and that a short survey was not conducted but that products were encountered during retail inspections. No regulatory decision was made; board members asked staff to research local approaches and legal status so the board could consider draft language in a future meeting.
