Hubbardston Board of Health Opens Inquiry Into Local Kratom and Nitrous Oxide Sales

HUBBARDSTON — November 25, 2025 — Hubbardston Board of Health moves toward regulating kratom and nitrous oxide sales after resident complaint. Chair Gael Moncoeur and members Dianna Johnson and newly sworn-in Dave Rogers discussed a resident letter alleging that both substances — kratom, which acts on opioid receptors, and nitrous oxide sold as a whipped cream propellant — are being sold at an unnamed local business. The board cited Massachusetts General Law Chapter 111, Section 31, which grants boards of health authority to issue local health regulations, and noted that communities including Belchertown, Canton, and Provincetown have already enacted outright bans. Two state bills, including Senate Bill S.558, propose statewide restrictions but have not passed. The board assigned members to gather regulatory examples from other towns and draft local language, while also signing 2026 hauler permits for EJ Harvey and Sons and Waste Management — both held pending missing tonnage reports — and tabling a Title 5 approval for 96 Old Westminster Road until a decayed distribution box is replaced.