Plymouth Board of Health schedules November forum on kratom and synthetic drug products

PLYMOUTH -- October 22, 2025, Plymouth Board of Health sets November 19 kratom forum after emotional testimony on synthetic drug dangers. The board, chaired by Teri Reid and meeting with members Barry Potvin, Amy Palmer, and Meg Payne, voted unanimously on five routine variances, three grease trap approvals for Plymouth Harborside, Second Wind Brewing Company, and a North Plymouth ice cream shop, plus two septic setback variances on Boot Pond Road and Center Hill Road, before pivoting to the town's emerging kratom debate. Kratom advocates from Virginia, Colorado, and Illinois urged the board to distinguish between natural whole-leaf kratom and synthetic 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) products. Nurse and addiction advocate Katie Marie countered with testimony that 7-OH products, sold in local convenience stores for roughly $40, can trigger convulsions within 12 hours of withdrawal and are being marketed deceptively as energy supplements. Board member Amy Palmer said she felt "really moved to make some action," and the board set a public forum for November 19, 6 to 8 p.m., at Town Hall's Great Hall, with a regular board meeting preceding it from 5 to 6 p.m.