During their meeting on Tuesday, January 21, the Louisville Board of Aldermen heard a presentation from Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics agents, Capt. Tammy Reynolds and Major Philip Robertson, concerning the dangers of a substance known as kratom.
Kratom comes from a tropical evergreen tree in the coffee family native to Southeast Asia. It is imported into the U.S. in pill or powder form, or what looks like energy shots.
Although it is currently a legal substance, Reynolds stated that it is 13-times more potent than morphine and has been linked to as many as 14 deaths in Mississippi; in two of those instances kratom was the only foreign substance in the victims’ bodies.
Kratom is currently being sold in some convenience stores in Winston County in the energy shot form.
Reynolds further stated that Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee have already banned the sale and possession of kratom, as have 12 counties and 36 cities in Mississippi. She and Robertson were urging City officials to consider banning the substance here, as well.
Mayor Will Hill suggested that City Attorney Taylor Tucker meet with Police Chief Sean Holdiness to work on a local ordinance for consideration at the next board meeting.
Hill spoke briefly about the importance of the 2020 Census which begins in March, and how vitally important it is to see that each and every resident is counted.
Hill added that he understood this census will be done entirely online and suggested forming a committee of volunteers who will help to get the word out about the census.
In other action, the Board:
• Voted 5-0 to authorize payment to Cook-Allen, PLLC for $2.9K for the AIP Airport 2019 project.
• Voted 5-0 to transfer $100K from the Solid Waste Fund to the Landfill Fund.
• Voted 5-0 to authorize payment to the Dept. of Public Safety Law Enforcement Training for $3.6K each for Kylan Harris and James Mask, to be reimbursed.
• Voted 5-0 to approve hiring part-time police officer, Prinston Henderson.
• Voted 5-0 to acknowledge Police Dept. training.
• Voted 5-0 to acknowledge the Animal Control Annual Report.
• Voted5-0 to authorize payment to Headwaters, Inc. for $757 for the South Industrial Road project.
The City of Louisville Board of Aldermen meet on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m.
