opioid crisis

Pennsylvania House Democrats Compare Kratom to Heroin in Pseudoscientific Tweet

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On May 2nd, the Pennsylvania House Democratic Policy Committee @PADemPolicy posted on Twitter that it was “in Allentown with @RepSchlossberg for a roundtable on the Evolving Epidemic: Opioids and Treatment Options.” Then in a reply to this tweet, wrote “Kratom is widely available but suppresses breathing much the same way as heroin.” As anyone who …

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64. Veterans Day Special: A Look Back on Four Veterans Who Told Us Their Kratom Stories

Kratom Science Podcast
Kratom Science Podcast
64. Veterans Day Special: A Look Back on Four Veterans Who Told Us Their Kratom Stories
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November 11, 2021 is Veterans Day! We take a look back at four veterans of the United States military who had a kratom story to share. From episode #13, Drew Turner is a US Navy veteran who served in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay. He appeared in the kratom documentary A Leaf of Faith. Drew discusses …

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58. New York Times Bestselling Author Maia Szalavitz on harm reduction, addiction, and her new book “Undoing Drugs”

Kratom Science Podcast
Kratom Science Podcast
58. New York Times Bestselling Author Maia Szalavitz on harm reduction, addiction, and her new book "Undoing Drugs"
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Maia Szalavitz is a journalist and New York Times bestselling author who has written about drugs, addiction, and neuroscience for 30 years. Today she talks with host Brian Gallagher about her new book, Undoing Drugs: The Untold Story of Harm Reduction and the Future of Addiction, why drug policy has failed, how policy based on …

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Journal Club #21: Heroin to Buprenorphine to Kratom in Appalachia

Journal Club with Dr. Jonathan Cachat
Journal Club with Dr. Jonathan Cachat
Journal Club #21: Heroin to Buprenorphine to Kratom in Appalachia
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Study examined in this episode: Smith, K. E., Bunting, A. M., Walker, R., Hall, M. T., Grundmann, O., & Castillo, O. (2019). Non-Prescribed Buprenorphine Use Mediates the Relationship between Heroin Use and Kratom Use among a Sample of Polysubstance Users. Journal of psychoactive drugs, 51(4), 311–322. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2019.1597224Pubmed link https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30961450/ Link to all studies covered on …

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52. The Other Crime of the Century: State-Sanctioned Torture of Pain Patients w/ Dr. Thomas Kline

Kratom Science Podcast
Kratom Science Podcast
52. The Other Crime of the Century: State-Sanctioned Torture of Pain Patients w/ Dr. Thomas Kline
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You may have seen HBO’s documentary The Crime of the Century about pharmaceutical companies influencing doctors to prescribe an abundance of pain medication. But there’s another story that may make for a sequel. CDC guidelines combined with DEA threats to doctors are now leaving chronic pain patients without the access to opioid pain medication that …

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47. Take it as a Tea with Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia Producer Soren Shade

Kratom Science Podcast
Kratom Science Podcast
47. Take it as a Tea with Hamilton's Pharmacopeia Producer Soren Shade
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Soren Shade grew up in the woods of West Virginia. Through a program for low-income, high-achieving students, he studied philosophy at Columbia University in New York. In his senior year he worked research assistant for Hamilton Morris and ended up as a producer on Season 3 of Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia, released earlier this year. Soren is …

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Full Text of 2018 HHS Letter to DEA Rescinding Kratom Ban Recommendation

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESOffice of the SecretaryOffice of the Assistant Secretary for HealthWashington, D.C. 20201 AUG 16 2018 [stamped] The Honorable Uttam DhillonActing AdministratorDrug Enforcement AdministrationU.S. Department of Justice8701 Morrissette DriveSpringfield, VA 22152 Dear Mr. Dhillon: Pursuant to the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), 21 U.S.C. § 811, I am rescinding our prior recommendation …

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43. Kratom Addiction w. Dr Cornel Stanciu and Dr. Thomas Penders

Kratom Science Podcast
Kratom Science Podcast
43. Kratom Addiction w. Dr Cornel Stanciu and Dr. Thomas Penders
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My guests are two addiction psychiatrists, Dr. Cornel Stanciu and Dr. Thomas Penders. I responded to their webinar in episode 38. I thought they overstated the dangers of kratom and wondered why you’d prescribe buprenorphine for kratom withdrawals. We talk about that, and the topic of kratom addiction and addiction in general. Studies referenced to …

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Why the AHRQ Review On Chronic Pain Matters

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December 2020 The Agency for Healthcare and Research Quality (AHRQ) is currently conducting a systematic review on plant-based treatment for chronic pain. Their goal: “identify alternative treatments (to opioids) with equal or better benefits for pain while avoiding potential unintended consequences.” Specifically, they will be reviewing the benefits and potential harms of cannabinoids and kratom. …

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27. Rodeo Riding Leads to Chronic Pain to Addiction to Recovery w/ Stephanie Van Dyke

Kratom Science Podcast
Kratom Science Podcast
27. Rodeo Riding Leads to Chronic Pain to Addiction to Recovery w/ Stephanie Van Dyke
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Stephanie Van Dyke was on her way to a professional career in rodeo horse riding, until she had an accident, which would give her chronic pain for the rest of her life. As a result, she got prescribed and hooked on opiate pain pills. Her opiate addiction took 10 years away from her life and …

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