001Starting in 5 4 3 2 1. >> Uh, good evening. I'd like to call to order the March 17th meeting of the um Ashland Board of Health. Um, any votes that we take tonight must be in a roll call due to us being remote. Um, the first thing on our agenda is citizen participation. Is there anybody for citizen participation? I see William Regan. >> Yes. Are you able to hear me? >> Yes. Um I just wanted to say if if uh we hear from grieving people um coming up this evening, I know I don't know what they're going through having um lost a child to anything. And uh that's just I I couldn't understand and and if if someone hurt my kids, they're grown now. They there wouldn't be a place to hide. So I
002understand that. I want to thank you all for trying to understand uh our proponent view on uh the natural leaf that we like and the 708 or adulterated that we don't like. It's a much deeper subject than it first appears and unfortunately it's become pretty controversial. I'm I'm not paid by anybody to come here and talk about crowdom. Uh it has helped my life. It has helped me to stop drinking. Um got bad back problems. It's helped me to uh walk again. I don't use a walker anymore and I can do my yard work. And my uh wife greatly appreciates that. So, and uh yeah, the alcohol was the secondary issue. Uh, I kept quit going into the refrigerator at home and I was I was doing pretty good at being an alcoholic. I mean,
003I'd been in a lot of trouble. One marriage gone, three DUI. So, I'm not proud about that. But I I get my ratom online. Good manufacturing practices, stamp of approval. I can't speak to all the brickandmortar stores. Um, but a lot of them don't understand what they're selling. And if they sell that stuff that's hurting people behind the counter, shame on them. That stuff needs to be banned. And pe people need to know the difference between pure low 70 stuff. I don't know how far you guys gone into researching. I imagine it's pretty far because you're allowing us people there. Uh so that that's outstanding. Um but essentially that's it. Just sell the the good stuff. make sure they're not selling the bad stuff. Uh, and let us people who really use it for uh,
004good purposes uh, to stop drinking, to stop taking drugs, and to help with our pain because we we can't take that much Oxycontton or any any opioids to to alleviate pain that's running seven, eight, nine. I I don't have the pain that other people have, but I'm just here to because I feel strongly about it. And people like like you uh who were kind enough to let us speak need to know how much it helped. And you'd be surprised how many people uh probably in in your area take credit. So that's all I have to say. Thank you so much. >> Right. Thank you. Um Okay. Thank you. And I would also like to remind any other people that I'm going to call on, uh, citizen participation is limited to two minutes each. Uh, the
005next person I will pick is, uh, Shannon Lee has her hand. He or she has the hand up. >> Hi, can you hear me? >> Yes. >> Hi, good evening. Um, I'm Shannon, a lifelong resident of Massachusetts. I just wanted to say there are a lot of people um like me right here in mass that are terrified to know um that ifratom is you know banned there will be a lot of people that will suffer in pain um it you know if it's totally banned in the state it doesn't just affect our state but our whole country as a whole the chronic lower back pain I've experienced before I found whole leaf natural I cannot even begin to explain what I went through I am a healthcare worker and I can't imagine trying to work
006in agony Please, instead of banning natural holy cratom, please look into regulating it. Our neighbor Rhode Island banned in 2017. They did the scientific research and they reversed the ban in a couple weeks. Matter of fact, as of April 1st, 2026. Um the FDA also announced in their July 29th, 2025 press conference that they are not interested in scheduling. They only want to ban um the synthetic 70. Uh let me see. I do support the ban on 70 and I think I I think I emailed you last night or this morning that um South Hadley and Amherst passed their regulation. You know, they listened to everybody email the testimonies and you know, they made a great decision and I just hope that you guys do as well, especially for, you know, the people in your
007your town and the state of Massachusetts. Thank you. Great. >> Thank you. Um I see Melody has her hand up. Here we go. I got it. >> Okay. >> Yeah, we can hear you. >> Okay. Get my things here. Okay. Got Um, I just returned from the University of Florida um, a couple weeks ago from the 2026 Catum Scientific Symposium where we had um, legislators and scientists from every single US healthcare agency talking about chronom. Our keynote speaker was Dr. Nora Vulco. She is the director of NAIDA, the National Institute of Drug Abuse. She communicated the same favorable stance that she communicated to the Congress in the 2023 congressional briefing as she did at the 24 congressional briefing and as she did just a few weeks ago. She is a favorable standing on chronom and
008one of them mentioned about the um press conference. I spoke at the HHS FDA press conference. They asked me to speak from their platform as a 12-year daily created consumer so I could talk about the benefits of it and to distinguish it from 708 which I am all in favor of being banned. Um, creatum has helped me so much during my life and my family. I've been in pain for over 20 years. I've lived with chronic pain from fibromyalgia, arthritis, sciatica, and other conditions. Before consuming crom, I was bedridden and required assistance which affected my family. Um, my kids did have had to have fans on in the room at night when they were all in elementary school so they could sleep because they would hear me crying in pain on the first level of
009of our home. And this past summer, I chased my three and a halfyear-old granddaughter all over the countryside and um from one splash pad and parked to another because I was her full-time caregiver for the summer last year for about four months. And so I just would urge you to follow the FDA and the HHS guidance which says get rid of 70 and keep the plain leaf products available. Thanks for your time. I appreciate it and I'm happy to stick around for any questions. >> Thank you. Um I see Jennifer. >> Yes. Hi. Um my name is Jennifer Gillis and I am just calling. I know y'all are having a cradle discussion and I just wanted to voice my opinion. Um 20 years ago I was diagnosed with transverse malitis. I became a chronic pain
010patient. After years of struggling to find relief, I discovered natural cradle. It gave me a second chance at life. And because of that, I made a promise to myself to use my voice to advocate for cradle because there's many who rely on natural products, particularly those in the chronic pain community that may not be aware that these discussions are taking place. Um, as far as um, what everybody else has said, I think it's good to, uh, you know, support reasonable regulations. Age restrictions, keeping products behind the counter, proper labeling are all appropriate measures. But the key the key is to differentiate the 70 products from natural cratom products. Um, I think that that's definitely a step in the right direction, but I just want to thank you so much for your time. I felt it
011was important to speak on behalf of those who were not able to tonight. I appreciate it. >> Great. Thank you. Um, and I have two more people. So, next one we'll do is Misty. >> Hi, good evening. Um, my name is Misty Brown and I too would like to say that I'm speaking on behalf of the people that have no idea that this meeting is even happening. Um, I will give you a shortened version of my testimony since you're only allowing two minutes. From 2008 to 2019, I was trapped in the cycle of FDA approved pain pills, benzels, and muscle relaxers prescribed for my chronic pain, which is degenerative disc disease in my back, in my back and my hip. When I was cut off from pain management in 2019, my life spiraled. I turned
012to the streets and even cocaine. Then during withdrawal I watched a documentary called a leaf of faith and discovered whole leafratom not synthetic 70oh. That moment changed everything. Quieted my cravings and gave me the space to heal. I haven't returned back to pain management over six and a half years. Today I'm a thriving mom, a proud grandmother, a taxpaying citizen and an active creative advocate and activist. It is vitally important you guys to differentiate between synthetic 70 and whole leafratum. If you're having problems in your community, it's the 70 that's being sold. It is not the whole leaf cratom powder. So please, please, please do your research and differentiate between the two. Thank you for allowing me this time to speak and I will be around for questions if you have any. >> Great. Thank
013you. And one more Shane. >> Hi. Uh my name is Shane Mio. Um, I'm uh coming from a different point of view. I'm a licensed medical professional and I'm um I'm in um I I am in favor of regulation of raw leaf cradle. The reason why I'm in that that vote is because I've witnessed firsthand how the difficulties around keeping insurance with um these insurance companies is real difficult. folks that are in pain management or in substance use um clinics have a real difficult time following the the loop the the barriers that these doctors and insurance companies have in order to keep their um their patients within the the ramifications to be getting paid. Also another thing of course is the separation of 708 and Raleigh cratom is vital. 708 is definitely more of an
014opioid. Raleigh cratom has has thousands of proven scientific cases behind it um to help prove that it's a a safe and vital piece to people's um life to survive and and uh deal with their their pain or their substance. I'm sorry. I'm a little uh winded. I'm walking my dog. I was happy that I'm able to talk. So, I I thank you. One last thing is a lot of um you're going to find organizations coming speaking out on behalf of um the dangers of creative. Firstly, I'd like to point out that a lot of these organizations are not coming from Massachusetts or or have a sense of the problems that Massachusetts is dealing with right now with substance use abuse. Um, secondly, sometimes you may hear of a a loved one being lost and of
015course that is the saddest thing, but you know, I I think of how one person's loss and thousands and thousands of people's lives survived. Um, I'm not saying that it's right, but I'm just saying that there's got to be some type of community response to that point of view as well. Thank you so much. >> Great. Um, thank you and thank you everybody for your comments. Um we're going to move on with our agenda now. Um the next thing on our agenda is um David Kinsman, uh decisions at every turn. So uh I don't actually have a report to make. The uh the next decisions, this month's decisions uh uh at a return meeting is actually scheduled for tomorrow night. So we haven't had a meeting yet. Um but I will gladly report on it
016uh to the board at our next meeting. >> Great. Thank you. Um, next thing on our agenda is the health director's report. Draj, you're up. >> Thank you, Chief. Uh, so first on our food establishment, uh, GO167, that's the old Murphy's. Uh, we did have an application from them. Uh, they've been closed for some time doing renovations. Uh, all the application is complete. Only one thing was missing is the information for the new hood they're going to be installing. Uh, they'll be sending that to us. Other than that they are good with us. U and hopefully they'll be opening soon. The other one is New York Pizza is the old location of Pizza Bella. Uh Tom been out in one time you know he have done a preoping inspection had some uh uh stuff to
017be addressed. I guess he's going back on this Friday uh to my understanding. I guess there was an email exchange this this afternoon. So we'll be addressing that and hopefully they are open back soon as well. Uh next is uh our uh second MRC stop the bleeding training uh that we are doing at the town hall tomorrow. Uh there are uh 12 people signed for that. Uh it's from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. tomorrow. I'm sorry. I don't know where we're getting that background noise. Uh and then uh then the MRC shelter training. I did uh forward a email to the board just now. Uh there is a there's a training our MRC uh unit is coordinating on on shelters. Uh that's actually NATIC on April 1st uh from 9 to 1:00 p.m. almost 12 p.m.
018If any of the board member can attend, I'll highly appreciate that. Uh so it's it's about like you know different kind of uh shelters that we set up like you know temporary shelter, overnight shelter or anything like that you know. So that's that's for that. Um I I was on a title five seminar from SD MOA this afternoon in Holio. Uh we discussed wide uh range of topics. U one was uh management of landfill along with you know other septic staff you know so I attended that uh the Boston marathon uh on April 20th I I know some board members have uh earlier u interest uh shown interest to attend uh this year I won't be here for the marathon but uh our nurse and will be taking the lead you know so if any
019board member can attend I'll appreciate you know so if one or two can attend that'll be You know last week we we did uh last Wednesday we did had our citizens academy where we have presented about our uh department functioning board of health functioning in front of 15 um Ashland citizens who are part of the citizen academy this year. So it was great. We we was with the conservation and sustainability comm um uh sustainability manager. Uh so I presented along with them. Now with the housing cases uh at the chestnut placement u uh the sanitation at the dumpster is like on and off. You know I have uh couple of inspections from the past board meeting. Um I did see some stuff uh but more importantly I did send an email to the board on
020Friday that we have picked up uh another pest uh issue at at the at the apartments you know so as I mentioned in the my email you know we got a call from the school department uh school school nurse you know about some uh pest that they have found in one of the Chromebook that was turned back to the IT department. Uh I did didn't did look at the Chromebook was very infested with with looks like more like roaches to me. You know it might be the bed bugs but because all of them was dead you know was not able to make sure but I'm inclining more towards roaches. Uh I did talk to the parent of the kid. Uh we have scheduled inspection for tomorrow uh around 1:00 p.m. I guess you know. So
021we'll be following up on that but that was that was a very big infestation that uh that we saw in the Chromebook you know. So some stuff happening at the Chesnal place apartments you know. Then about the 300 321 Leland farm road I again did forward an email from the owner. Um all the items on the order letter except one are addressed. Uh and then we'll be scheduling a reins inspection there as well uh this week or or the upcoming week. 21 Main Street, Unit 2011. Uh that that that was the case that was in front of the board last time. Uh we have closed the case. The fines was paid. Uh they have paid the $600 fine. And then this 21 Main Street unit 204 is still still pending. Now I did speak to
022the occupant there uh that she mentioned that somebody uh somebody they have scheduled uh a checkup for the washer and dryer and uh the mechanic that was in um mentioned that you know both of the units are kind of need to be repaired or broken. But when I talked to the occupant yesterday, her name is Shelby, uh she mentioned that she is not living at the apartment for almost two weeks, you know, because of no heat or no hot water. Now, uh this particular unit, we do had the same complaint uh in October last year um that there was no heat or no hot water. I have asked a to let me know if they want me to schedule an inspection. Uh I guess they did forward an email to Dr. J also and Dr.
023J can put more light on it, you know. So, I I will again talk to the occupant tomorrow if they're interested in an inspection or wait to hear from them, you know, about the inspection if they want me to schedule it or do an inspection to see what's going on with the heat or hot water, you know. And Dr. J, I don't know if you have to add anything on this or >> uh No, just that I had spoken to this tenant. uh it might have been maybe 4 weeks ago. I I can't remember. Had a conversation with her and then uh tried to kind of summarize that conversation and I sent it off to the board and um just a summary of that and then she followed up with me today as kind of
024an update. Um I got an email uh in the early afternoon. She was saying that she met with Raj. She wanted me to know that there's been no movement on the part of the management in terms of getting things sorted out with what she initially approached them for. And on top of that, she didn't have any heat. She had attached an email uh that she sent to management about this and then attached um I don't know Raj if you had sent those out to to the board that the email that I forward to you but anyway she had attached some screenshots um of the system of communication that that they use for communication um with management um you know but I think that the bottom line is that um she doesn't feel like there's that
025there's enough attention being paid to the previous issue as well as this lack of heat now which is new. Um and then she sent it to me because she wanted me to forward it to Raj because she didn't have his email address. So that all kind of all went down just in the last few hours. >> And um >> yes, >> sorry. And I just want to add something here to everybody because um if you know at our last meeting we um took a vote to wave the fines. Um and then Raj just let us know that the fines were paid. So, we learned the next day, everybody, that we as a board, we cannot wave fines. The only thing we can wave are fees. So, I just want to make sure the board knows
026that that's what transpired the next day. >> And and and just to add to that, Ed, that was for unit 2011. >> Yes. >> This this one's 204, but um yeah, same building and >> Okay. And uh Dr. to your question. Yes, I didn't get a chance to forward that email to the board yet. You know, you know, was just a few hours back. But yes, I'll I'll follow up. You know, u now with the no heat, no hot water, that's a 24hour, you know, eminent threat to humans, right? Like that this is how it is worded in the in the code. Uh 105 CMR 410. But I I need permission from her or she need to agree for an inspection. And that's the first step you know for for us to move forward on
027on that you know. So I I will follow up tomorrow again that if they if they if you want us to come come out again you know to do an inspection and you know and go from there you >> uh uh other than that you know uh rodent complaints we did pick up three rodent complaints you know good weather coming more rodents coming you know so uh uh there's one complaint on Cherry Street next to town hall uh and then one at Cedrus departments and then one at Chestnut uh and Brooks you know that we are investigating and uh trying to resolve uh with a disease investigation. We've been working on a communicable disease investigation from past uh three three and half weeks you know one one person in that still in quarantine other was
028cleared getting you know long with from the state you know that we have cleared other individuals on that case you know uh I guess that's all I have you know and I'm open to any questions uh from from the board now >> does anybody have any questions for Raj on his agenda? Okay. None. Okay. Thanks, Raj. Um, >> thank you, sir. >> The next thing on our agenda is the consent agenda. Um, so I need a motion to review and approve the fiscal 26 year-to- date budget report and the meeting minutes from February 17th, 2026. Do I have a motion? >> So moved. >> I'll second it. >> Okay. So, I do need a roll call vote. So Jay >> hi >> uh Barbara >> I >> Maurice >> I >> David >> hi >>
029and I'm a yes also um so that's um approved um next thing on our agenda is discuss future agenda items um and continueratom discussion that'll be on our next agenda is that correct Yes sir. However the board feels, you know, if if you want to discuss that or however I I'll communicate with you guys, you know, before before >> before we build the next agenda. Yes. Um does anybody have any new business or old business? >> Can I just make a a comment about the the crowd um >> discussion for the future? First of all, thank you for the folks that uh joined us tonight. Um, sorry if you thought that we were talking about this tonight. It was on the agenda to talk about discussing it in in a future agenda. So, um, but
030your points are well taken and we appreciate it. Um, I will just say that I regarding the draft regulation for Kratom, I know that we've got and for those of you listening, we we have some educational material on a website that uh the the health department set up. On that website, there's also a draft regulation um that you may be interested in looking at. It's similar to the one that's moving its way through the state uh of Massachusetts. But anyway, I made some updates to that and wondered if I could send it out to the board for them to look at the the the updates there and I have in yellow, you know, where I made some changes, but I think that probably the most significant ones um are in some of the language and
031then addressing some of the concerns that you had Raj about the food code are in that. Um, and so the reason I just bring this up is because if we're going to talk about it again and and I wanted to do this in person, so I think it's better that we wait till we're in person. Um, it would be good for me to be able to send that around to everybody and have them check it out in advance. So, uh, what would be the, uh, is everybody okay with that? I'll just send it to Laura. And you're, you're muted, Ed. >> Yeah. So, if Laura um Laura should send it out to us and then um we can also put that on like we did with the last thing on the website for people to
032review also. >> Yeah. And it it says draft on it. >> Perfect. Yep. >> Just draft. Yep. >> Yeah. >> That would be the proper way to do it. >> Okay. And then I'll bring you up to date on just a couple conversations I had about this which you know we we we can wait until that meeting. Sure. Um, anybody else? Any new business or old business? So, our next meeting is scheduled for April 7th. That will be an in-person meeting at town hall. Um, unless any unless some kind of emergency happens before then and we need to schedule a meeting. Um, with that being said, I will um request a motion to adjurnn. >> Okay. I'll make the motion to agend the meeting. >> Thank you, Barbara. Do I have a second? >> Second.
033Second. >> Okay. And quick roll call vote. Um Jay >> I. >> Barbara >> I. >> Maurice >> I. >> David >> I. >> And I'm an I too. Perfect. Uh good night everybody. Thank you very much. >> Okay. Thank you so much. Good night. Thank you. Have a good night.