Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Health Substance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Student coalition STEPS urges legislators to restrict kratom sales after local advocacy day
Summary
Southington’s STEPS youth council reported its advocacy work on kratom, including a letter to state legislators, an advocacy day at the Capitol, written testimony and engagement with local representatives who filed a bill to restrict kratom to purchasers 21 and older.
Members of the STEPS youth council presented their coalition’s substance-use prevention work to the board and described a focused advocacy campaign on kratom.
Katie Kavanaugh, identified herself as a junior and one of STEPS’ youth peer advocates, described the coalition’s origins and recent projects. She said the youth council reviewed survey data showing low positive family communication and targeted parents for a campaign called "It's Not Cheesy," which used pizza-box stickers, billboards and school outreach to reach families.
Kavanaugh and other youth leaders described discovering unregulated cannabis-containing drinks and later learning about kratom. She said the council researched kratom and urged local legislators to take action. Kavanaugh told the board the product can be deceptive and that "some products are so powerful that kratom was nicknamed gas station heroin." She said the council invited legislators to a meeting and that Representative Pulis (spelled in the meeting) attended and later helped file a bill to restrict kratom sales to people 21 and older.
The youth council organized an advocacy day at the state Capitol where student leaders and STEPS provided a drop-in breakfast for legislators and their staff, heard research presented by a pharmacy researcher (identified in the presentation as Dr. White), and submitted written testimony to the General Law Committee. They learned kratom had been added to a Department of Consumer Protection bill that would classify it alongside regulated substances if the bill passes.
Steve Nyrick, president of the STEPS Coalition, thanked the students and board: "You brought the bill to our state capitol. As you can see, our youth are trying to make a positive difference right here in Southington and in Connecticut." He described the students as community leaders and the board applauded the presentation.
Ending: Students said they will continue advocacy and tracking the bill; board members thanked the youth council and STEPS leadership for their work.
