Plymouth Board of Health Weighs Kratom Ban, Nicotine Pouch Limits

PLYMOUTH — October 8, 2025 — Plymouth Board of Health hears kratom warnings and debates nicotine pouch milligram cap. At the October 8 meeting, Mae Hickey of the Plymouth Area Prevention Collaborative told the three-member board that kratom — a plant-based substance with opioid-like receptor activity — is appearing in area vape shops and gas stations without age restrictions or FDA oversight, citing more than 3,400 U.S. Poison Control reports from 2014 to 2019 including seizures and deaths. Regional epidemiologist Devin Donovan presented 2025 year-to-date data showing 295 confirmed, probable, and suspect tick-borne illness cases in Plymouth, with Lyme disease comprising 80 percent of the five-year caseload. Board member Amy Palmer argued for a six-milligram cap on nicotine pouches at general retailers, with higher-potency products limited to adult-only tobacco shops, telling the board "addiction's addiction"; the board took no vote, agreeing to research FDA guidance before acting. Karen Keane noted Plymouth has already turned away two prospective tobacco licensees under its retail license cap, and that at least six Massachusetts municipalities have enacted local kratom bans.