Gov. Healey does
the right thing to
ban kratom
The decision last week by Gov. Maura Healey and the Mass. Dept. of Public Health to issue an order classifying kratom as a Schedule 1 drug, thereby effectively banning the sale of kratom products, removes a dangerous and highly-addictive substance from store shelves in our state.
Kratom is derived from the leaves of a tree in Southeast Asia, where it has been used medicinally in its natural form for hundreds of years with a low degree of dependency when used in moderation.
However, in this country, kratom products flooding convenience and other stores bear little resemblance to that traditional herb. Instead, manufacturers are distributing highly-potent extract powders, tablets, and gummies that isolate and concentrate kratom’s active alkaloid, 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH).
Because these commercial products have been completely unregulated, consumers have had no way of knowing the dosage or chemical purity of what they are ingesting. It is these hyper-concentrated products that lead rapidly to dependency, severe withdrawal, and an elevated risk of overdose—especially among curious children and teenagers.
A number of cities and towns across the state, most recently Revere, already have taken matters into their own hands by banning the sale of kratom products in their communities.
However, local ordinances create a patchwork defense that allows buyers to simply drive to the next town over. Governor Healey’s sweeping statewide ban establishes a uniform line of defense, ensuring that these unpredictable and hazardous products can no longer target the health and safety of our youth anywhere in the Commonwealth.
Iran is holding all
the cards
When the United States and Israel embarked on their war against Iran almost six months ago, the ease with which they accomplished the assassination of the Iranian leaders created the narrative of a quick end to the hostilities.
Israeli intelligence had convinced American leaders that the regime would fall if Iran’s top leaders were removed and that the successor leadership would cave in swiftly to demands to end Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
Six weeks into the conflict, we were told by our leaders that Iran had “no cards.”
But now, six months later, it is clear that Iran holds all the cards.
The U.S. has no answer militarily to the Iranians’ ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Despite months of bombing of Iranian military (and some civilian) targets by the U.S. and the Israelis, the Iranians’ drones continue to pose a serious threat both to the critical infrastructure of other countries and American military bases in the region.
Moreover, the war has drained the U.S. military of its weaponry, leaving our military
critically short of both offensive and defensive missiles that will take years to replenish.
The war also is draining the morale of our service members, who are living under strenuous conditions of long deployments while under the constant threat of attack with no clear mission.
In addition, the war has created ever-widening fissures not only between the U.S. and Israel, but also between the U.S. and its allies both in the region and around the world, none of whom were consulted before the U.S. started the war.
Instead of displaying our military prowess, the war has demonstrated that the U.S. is a feckless, unreliable, and unhinged partner of limited capacity who is the new rogue actor on the world stage.
By contrast, Iran has strengthened its alliances with Russia and China, with the Chinese buying Iranian oil, and the Russians supplying Iran with weapons and crucial logistical support that helps to target U.S. military installations.
The U.S. also has failed at the negotiation table. The so-called U.S. negotiating team of Kushner, Witfkoff, and Vance has zero experience dealing with either the Iranians, the intricacies of a nuclear weapons program, or how to negotiate in a war-time setting. It was their simplistic Memorandum of Understanding 60 days ago that led the Iranians to believe that they can control the strait.
With the U.S. and the world economy straining under the burden of higher energy prices — with no end in sight — it is becoming increasingly clear that the only option for the U.S. to get out of this quagmire is to declare victory and go home — and let the proverbial chips fall where they may.