Tewksbury Board of Health Schedules Public Hearing on Full Kratom Sales Ban

Board of Health · Meeting of July 23, 2026

Tewksbury Board of Health votes unanimously to advance a draft Kratom ban to public hearing. The board voted 3-0 on July 23 to schedule a public hearing, with at least 14 days of notice, on a draft regulation that would prohibit the manufacture, distribution, sale, or offering for sale of all Kratom products in town. Member George Ferdinand made the motion and member Chris Janeczak seconded, with both citing the town's inability to distinguish natural from synthetic Kratom as the deciding factor.

Staff member Shannon explained that no third-party testing exists for Kratom products, a monitoring questionnaire used for inspections runs roughly 10 pages and most products would fail it, and the department's constrained budget leaves "non-existent" capacity to enforce a more targeted rule. The board left open the possibility of future amendments if a verified natural-only brand with standardized testing emerges. In a separate disclosure, Shannon warned that a public health excellence grant currently funding one full-time position and half of a nurse's salary is in jeopardy, though the town manager has agreed to retain the nurse if the grant ends.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
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Source: the Board of Health meeting of July 23, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.