Tewksbury Board of Health Sets Public Hearing on Proposed Kratom Ban

TEWKSBURY — December 18, 2025 — Tewksbury Board of Health schedules a public hearing on a possible kratom ban and adds a nonprofit permit late fee. Director of Public Health Shannon presented research linking kratom — sold at local gas stations, smoke shops, and a Walmart-area liquor store — to opioid-like receptor binding, unregulated dosing, and at least one death attributed to mitragynine toxicity, and recommended the board pursue a complete municipal ban. The board voted unanimously to hold a public hearing on January 15, 2026, with Shannon pledging to gather local EMS and hospital data and contact communities that have already enacted bans. In a second unanimous vote, the board amended its fee schedule to charge nonprofit organizations a $100 flat late fee for missing the December 1 food permit renewal deadline, effective in 2026. Two residents — Dawn Sheehan and Sandra Poole — urged the board during public comment to press harder on the pending Hillman Energy battery storage proposal, with Sheehan presenting third-party dispersion data she said showed serious health risk zones reaching nearby homes.