Scituate Board of Health approves Laurelwood Drive well variance, opens Kratom debate

SCITUATE -- May 18, 2026, Scituate Board of Health hears Kratom alarm, approves Laurelwood Drive well variance. The two-member board, Chair Joan and member Allison, unanimously granted a private well variance at 5 Laurelwood Drive for irrigation use only, with iron and manganese readings above secondary contaminant limits but posing no public health risk. The meeting's main business was an hour-long informational session on Kratom and high-potency 7-OH extract products, led by Ron Orleans, treasurer of South Shore Peer Recovery and a Scituate resident of 44 years, who called for a local prohibition on sales. "My son's first reaction was, Dad, this is legal, this is natural, and yet it had the same exact effect as an opioid," Orleans told the board. Six public commenters from five states weighed in: several natural-Kratom consumers urged regulation over a full ban and removal of synthetic 7-OH specifically, while Ann-Marie Galvin, Scituate FACTS co-founder, described finding natural and synthetic products mixed in an unlabeled glass case at a local convenience store, displayed next to candy. No vote was taken; the board committed to placing Kratom regulation on its next meeting agenda.