Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Minnesota Raises Kratom Purchase Age To 21 After Increase In Poison Control Calls
A new Minnesota law raises the legal age to buy kratom from 18 to 21, marking the state's first major step toward regulating a substance that's become widely available in gas stations and smoke shops. (Ki, 8/3)
More health news from across the U.S. —
The Missouri Children’s Trust Fund has received nearly $600,000 in federal funding to support rural prenatal home visits during pregnancy, as well as follow up visits during the early years of a child’s life. (Bates-Bland, 8/4)
In late 2024, Alexis Rodriguez was complaining of stomach issues while incarcerated at Carl Robinson Correctional Institution in Enfield. He wasn’t able to use the bathroom regularly. (Golvala, 8/3)
Advocates rallied for a pause on cuts to disability services outside the Maryland State House on Monday as state lawmakers convened in Annapolis for a three-day special session, though legislation to address the issue wasn’t allowed to come up for a vote. (Hacker, 8/3)
Shortly after buying her house in 2022, Mary Royers learned from a man across the street that her Omaha, Nebraska, neighborhood was contaminated with lead. But her yard, like thousands of others, had been cleaned up, the neighbor said. Royers wanted to be sure. So the 36-year-old educator checked a website where the city tracks the soil test results of every home in a 27-square-mile area surrounding the site of an old lead smelter. She saw “remediated” written in bright green letters. The federal government had completed the work two decades ago. An expert must have tested the dirt and determined the problem was solved, she thought. (Bowling, Garibay, Herbers and Keinama, 8/4)
A new state law aims to protect Marylanders from harmful PFAS by limiting the amount of the chemicals in biosolid crop fertilizer, but one Maryland farmer says lawmakers aren’t getting to the root of the problem. “It’s attacking the problem at the wrong end,” said Charles County Farm Bureau President Steve Walter. (Conrad, 8/4)
New York City legislative leaders are expected on Tuesday to announce a long list of proposed rules designed to better govern the use of electric bikes and scooters and crack down on illegal vehicles after a series of fatal crashes. The plan, set to be presented at a news conference at City Hall, includes 17 bills that the City Council will consider this fall. The announcement begins a long process to shape the proposals, many of which are likely to face opposition from various interest groups, each with its own view of the city’s shared streets. (Chen, 8/4)
