Deerfield Board Sets Aug. 5 Hearing on Yearlong Kratom Ban
Deerfield moves toward a yearlong kratom ban and endorses new accessory dwelling unit rules.
Board of Health · Meeting of July 22, 2026
Deerfield moves toward a yearlong kratom ban and endorses new accessory dwelling unit rules. Health Agent Ned Swirsky told the joint Selectboard, Board of Health and Sewer Commissioners meeting that Vermont and Connecticut have banned kratom outright and recommended Deerfield ban synthetic forms while imposing a one-year moratorium on natural kratom, with a hearing set for August 5. "I feel more comfortable if natural was regulated like cannabis," Swirsky said.
Chair Trevor McDaniel, Tim Hilchey and Blake Gilmore voted 3-0 to endorse a rewritten ADU bylaw capping new units at 900 square feet by right, approved a host community agreement with marijuana transporter MMM Transport Inc., and learned MassDOT accepted a $21.6 million low bid from Northern Construction Services LLC for the Stillwater Bridge project. The board also began staffing a review committee for a proposed 34-unit senior housing development on North Main Street.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 3,059 words
Source: the Board of Health meeting of July 22, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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