Tobly McSmith asserts that the city Health Department wrongly shut down his cafe claiming kava and kratom are dangerous adulterants, undermining his mission to help recovering addicts.
McSmith states, 'Kava means the world to me. I stopped drinking about 15 years ago... It was boring, nowhere to find community that wasn't revolving around alcohol.' This highlights the cafe's role as a social hub for those seeking alternatives.
'It felt like a mission to be able to show people there's a way to have a life and friends outside of alcohol... The Health Department, without any rhyme or reason, is just taking that away from us,' McSmith conveys the emotional impact of the cafe's closure.
McSmith lamented, 'I don't sleep at night. I've lost a lot of weight. I'm going to have to dip into my 401K to fight the fight,' pointing to the personal toll the legal battle has taken.
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