Brian

Is it a good idea to make a 7-hydroxymitragynine based drug?

A Vancouver drug company announced that it has filed a patent for a deuterated form of 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-HMG) called D7-h. The company, Nirvana Life Sciences Inc., intends to pursue D7-h as a pain relieving drug, citing 7-HMG’s partial opioid agonism, and the deuteration process that they say makes the drug last longer. A deuterated drug …

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Interview with International Drug Policy and Harm Reduction Expert Pascal Tanguay

This interview is the text version of the audio episode #66 of the Kratom Science Podcast, posted December 2, 2021. It’s been lightly edited for clarity in reading. Pascal Tanguay is originally from Montreal, Canada and has been living in Thailand for 20 years studying issues around people who use drugs, international and Southeast Asian …

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Lead (Pb) in kratom possibly hazardous, say researchers

Researchers from Midwestern University recently published an article in the journal Toxics entitled “Public Health Implications and Possible Sources of Lead (Pb) as a Contaminant of Poorly Regulated Kratom Products in the United States”. Based in part on earlier research conducted by lead author and pharmacologist Dr. Walter Prozialeck, several randomly selected kratom products have …

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Bill introduced to Federally Legalize Cannabis in the USA

On July 21, 2022, Senator Cory Booker, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden introduced the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act which will “decriminalize and deschedule cannabis, to provide for reinvestment in certain persons adversely impacted by the War on Drugs, to provide for expungement of certain cannabis offenses”. Cannabis has been …

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NIDA is rolling out a massive nationwide study of regular kratom consumers

QR Code link https://enroll.drugabuse.gov/kratom-nida/ From the research team: About The KEMA Study We are conducting a new study on kratom entitled “Real-world momentary assessment of kratom use accompanied by product assays: A natural history study toward an interdisciplinary characterization of kratom use and pharmacology”! That is a long name, so we typically refer to it …

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Possible causes of kratom-related liver toxicities and deaths

Herb-induced liver injury (HILI) is “a rare adverse reaction associated with the consumption of herbal products”. A review published in 2020 found 12,068 cases of herb-induced liver injury worldwide, as well as 46,266 cases of liver injury induced by the use of drugs (Teschke et al., 2021). Herbal and dietary supplements contribute to 20% of …

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Language Regulating Processors Stripped in Pennsylvania Kratom Consumer Protection Bill; Only Prevents Sales to Minors

6/21/2022 Pennsylvania’s “Kratom Consumer Protection Act”, HB2357, now only prohibits retailers from selling kratom to individuals under the age of 18. The bill, referred to Pennsylvania’s House Health Committee on March 8, 2022, previously contained language that would place regulations on kratom processors. The committee submitted the bill as amended on June 13, crossing out …

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Interview with Dr. Christopher McCurdy and Dr. Brian Pearson on the History and Future of Kratom Plant Science and Pharmacology

This interview is a transcript of Kratom Science Podcast #69 Kratom Science: I want to start off with Dr. McCurdy. You were originally with University of Mississippi. That university is known for the only federally legal cannabis farm. You started to study kratom around 2004, and I’m just wondering how you became interested in kratom? …

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