Kratom ban, private nursery schools, protecting environment, sunscreens

Hochul should veto kratom legislation

I use products containing 7-OH, one of the naturally occurring compounds in the kratom plant, to manage chronic pain from a 2018 car wreck that left me with three broken vertebrae and screws in my spine [ “NYS Legislators pass synthetic kratom ban,” News, June 10]. I’m glad I found it. Before I did, the pain made it harder to get through ordinary days and live my life.

Now the State Legislature has passed a bill that could leave many Long Islanders like me without options. Gov. Kathy Hochul should veto it. The bill would ban any kratom product where 7-OH exceeds 2% of total alkaloids.

That could remove products that help chronic pain patients function, without giving people like me a realistic alternative.

Lawmakers passed this bill without a single public hearing. A policy this consequential should not reach the governor’s desk without hearing from the people it would most affect.

New York should go after the right problems: products with no labels, no testing, and no accountability. A 2% alkaloid cap does nothing about those problems.

Hochul should send the legislation back to the table and urge lawmakers to pass a better bill that protects consumers without abandoning patients who are just trying to get through the day.

— John Rocissano, Smithtown

Work with private nursery schools

The article on childcare does an excellent job highlighting the financial pressures facing childcare providers and families [“Parents, providers squeezed by costs,” LI Business, June 14]. However, it overlooks a significant policy issue: New York State’s investment in building and subsidizing new childcare capacity while largely ignoring an existing network of private, independent nursery schools already serving families.

For decades, private nursery schools have provided high-quality early childhood education with licensed facilities and experienced educators. Many have available classroom space and infrastructure that could immediately help address childcare shortages without requiring taxpayers to fund new construction or create redundant systems.

Yet these schools are often excluded from state funding opportunities. During the pandemic, many private nursery schools were forced to close while daycare centers were deemed essential and received financial support.

The state’s promotion of universal pre-K as a substitute for nursery school also deserves scrutiny. UPK is funded at a fraction of the cost of K-12 public education. On Long Island, public schools often spend more than $20,000 per student annually, while UPK providers receive a fraction of that amount.

Research consistently shows that investments in early childhood education generate the greatest educational returns. If New York is serious about increasing childcare access, it should stop overlooking the proven capacity that already exists in private nursery schools.

— Noah Cooper, Smithtown

The writer is the owner of the Ivy League School, a private school for toddlers through eighth grade, in Smithtown.

Pass laws to protect the environment

A 2026 Gallup poll shows that 91% of Democrats believe the government is doing too little to protect the environment. New York State is led by a Democratic governor with a Democratic majority in both chambers of the State Legislature. One would expect that passing legislation to address climate change, protect the environment, and safeguard public health would be priorities for our legislators [“Climate wins, disappointments,” News, June 14]. Unfortunately, the prolonged budget process and heavy industry lobbying has led to several years of no progress on important environmental and public health bills not being voted on.

This year, Gov. Kathy Hochul used the budget process to weaken the state’s landmark climate law as well as the State Environmental Quality Review Act.

A coalition of environmental organizations advocated for the passage of priority bills that would address environmental toxins, plastic waste, and lead contamination in drinking water. Not one of these bills was brought to a vote. In the poll noted above, Americans’ rating of environmental quality is the lowest it’s been since 2001. We need our leaders to stop playing politics, and work together to pass legislation to protect our environment and our health.

— Jennifer Vogt, East Northport

Sunscreens not properly used

I welcome the availability of the recently approved sunscreen, BEMT [“High hopes for new sunscreen,” News, June 13]. However, I’m not optimistic about its efficacy. We already have effective and aesthetically acceptable sunscreens. They fail because people just don’t use them properly.

— Daryl Altman, MD, Lynbrook

The writer is an allergist/immunologist.