HomeMy WebLinkAboutWoolf Email 02_02_2026(i Outlook
Testimony Excluded from BOH Meeting
From David Woolf < go4itbass@gmail.com >
Date lv10n 2026-02-02 8;50 PM
To Provos, Sara < SProvos@yarmouth.ma.us >
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Melody and Makaryjpg; Melody at HHSjpg;
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Dear Members of the Board of Health,
My wife Melody was disappointed to have her testimony excluded from the recent Yarmouth Board of
Health Meeting. She brings with her 12 years of positive lived experience with plain leaf Kratom. She
was the only Kratom advocate in the country to be welcomed to the HHS press briefing stage last July
by FDA Director Makary. She is also attending the Kratom Science Symposium at the University of
Florida, where any concerns could be brought to leading scientists in plfSg.n.
I want to add my voice as well. Kratom has returned our mother to our family, and my wife to me
Our only regret is that she did not find it sooner.
Here is her story
For over 20 years, I lived with chronic pain from fibromyalgia, arthritis, sciatica, and other
conditions. Before consuming kratom, lwas often bedridden and required assistance, which
affected my ability to participate fully in family life.
Eleven years ago, I began consuming plain-leaf kratom, and it gave me back my mobility and
ability to fully engage with my family. ln 2022, when my daughter and son-in-law's childcare
closed unexpectedly, I provided fulltime care for my granddaughter, saving them approximately
$50,000. This past summer, with major home repairs and high childcare costs, I again cared for
my 3lz-year-old granddaughter for four months, chasing her all over town - weekly trips to the
Detroit Zoo, the library, and every nearby splash pad.
I participate in local and state-level meetings on kratom regulation and spoke one-on-one withroughly 200 state legislators at the NCSL conference. I will be attending a scientific symposiumagain this year, where r will share my personar experience arongside reiearchers andregulators' I was also asked to speak at a joint HHS/FDA press briefing about the benefits ofkratom and to distinguish it from the dangerous 7OH.
Outside of advocacy, I sing in a chorus, performing for nursing homes and assisted living
facilities as a form of community service, helping bring joy and connection to others.
My personal experience demonstrates the profound impact kratom has on function, family life,
and community engagement, and underscores the importance of patient perspectives in
informing science and policy.
We support protecting plain leaf Kratom, with common sense regulations such as an age gate, and
truthful packaging, while prohibiting products containing over 2o/o of the metaboliteT-OH (7-
hydroxymitragyn ine). ln fact, in a recent Oval Office press conference, FDA Director Makary just
mentioned that 7-OH was the problem, not the plain leaf.
Please do not ban plain leaf Kratom for those who take it responsibly. Though we cannot attend in
person, we would be happy to lend a voice of experience via Zoom or Factime. She wasjust contacted
by Springfield, MA to do that today. Melody's number is 269 873-992. More information and the
science is found on her Linkedln Profile:
hlt@y:woolE366aZbl46?
utmjource=share&utm_campAlgn=share-via&utm-content=plgI[eEgtlm-mCdlgn Bp_
Best regards,
David Woolf
269 873-9591