All Episodes

October 17, 2022 118 mins

Welcome Back! Thank you so much for joining us! I am thrilled to sharing my wonderful chat I had with Dr. Kirsten Smith with all of you! Dr. Smith is lead investigator of the new (2022) national NIDA-funded kratom study. She is also openly a former heroin addict and bank robber! We had such an amazing talk and it was really great to get her thoughts on all things addiction, recovery, brain development, and of course kratom!  It was great to get her unique perspective due to her past life as an addict as well as being a scientist and doctor. It really solidified that if you're an addict struggling, you can completely recover and become the best version of yourself - after drug addiction.


Before our segment with Dr. Smith I unknowingly had a really emotional time sharing our amazing sponsor, Your Leaf Your Life giveaway to a very well-deserved listener in need. I also briefly discuss some kratom news and current events; Rapides Parish Louisiana criminalizes the sale and use of kratom locally. Is Mississippi on track to criminalize kratom statewide? Family files wrongful death kratom lawsuit against Lubbock, Texas business. 


Dr. Kirsten Smith has been researching kratom since 2017, when she was a doctoral student at the University of Louisville. Her first-hand experience with drug use and addiction contributed to her early interest in kratom. After coming to NIDA’s Intramural Research Program in Baltimore, Maryland in 2019 as a postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Smith spearheaded several online surveys and was also the lead associate investigator on a clinical trial examining the effectiveness of an experimental opioid for suppressing withdrawal. Now, Dr. Smith is the lead investigator on a national NIDA-funded kratom study utilizing ecological momentary assessment and kratom product assay. She has also recently launched a small in-person kratom clinical trial to observe kratom product effects in humans. With this pilot data she hopes to launch more human laboratory studies on kratom while continuing to assess real-world kratom use patterns. Dr. Smith will be joining the Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit at Johns Hopkins University in August 2023 and plans to continue her kratom work for years to come.



If you would like to be involved in the local donations, in any manner, or if you would like to be a guest or sponsor of the show please contact us at kratomguyshow@gmail.com or call/ text (617) 917-5242


Thank you so much for joining us! Enjoy the show!


This episode is sponsored by:

Your Leaf Your Life

‘See the difference, smell the difference and feel the difference, because it's your leaf and your life’

https://yourleafyourlife.com

Use the link above or coupon code kratomguyshow to save 10% off your first purchase AND help to support the show!

https://bit.ly/YLYL-KratomGuy


Music by:

Lion Heights Track: “Dread Step”

https://lionheights.com


Sources:

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=FzbmTRcAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao


https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Kirsten%20Elin%20Smith&sort=date&ac=yes


https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36108442


https://www.kalb.com/2022/10/13/rapides-parish-police-jury-unanimously-votes-ban-kratom


https://www.wtva.com/news/mississippi-may-join-alabama-as-a-state-banning-kratom/article_9e188f9e-4bb8-11ed-9d2d-d7f16e34b4bb.html


https://www.carlsonattorneys.com/news-and-update/kratom-death-lawsuit


Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.

Crime Junkie

Crime Junkie

Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.