In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Dr Nikolay Lunchenkov, medical doctor, a global health specialist, and a doctoral candidate in Global Health at the Technical University of Munich, Germany. The interview covers Nikolay’s research article analysing chemsex trajectories among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in Almaty, Kazakhstan.What is chemsex? [01:00]The wider context of drug use in Kazakhstan [01:58]The trajectories of chemsex [03:16] The methods used, and the use of a life course framework [05:36]The five trajectory stages developed: initiation, maintenance, escalation, dependence, and disengagement [07:30]The realistic and idealistic implications of the findings for treatment in Kazakhstan [17:00]The take-home messages [19:09]About Elle Wadsworth: Elle is an academic fellow with the Society for the Study of Addiction. She is based at the University of Bath with the Addiction and Mental Health Group and her research interests include drug policy, cannabis legalisation, and public health. Elle holds a voluntary role at The Loop, a non-profit service provider of drug checking in the UK. About Nikolay Lunchenkov: Nikolay, MD, MSc is a doctoral candidate in Global Health at the Technical University of Munich (TUM School of Social Sciences and Technology). His research focuses on HIV prevention, PrEP implementation, chemsex and harm reduction among key populations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. His fieldwork focuses on Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, combining qualitative and epidemiological methods to understand how marginalised communities navigate health systems under restrictive political conditions. He also teaches graduate seminars on authoritarian regimes and global health, as well as cross-cultural qualitative research methods, at TUM.Declarations of interest: None Original article: ‘Emptiness filled with love’: A reflexive thematic analysis of chemsex trajectories among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in Almaty, Kazakhstan, using a life course framework https://doi.org/10.1111/add.70454The opinions expressed in this podcast reflect the views of the host and interviewees and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official positions of the SSA or Addiction journal.The SSA does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of the information in external sources or links and accepts no responsibility or liability for any consequences arising from the use of such information.

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Pablo Gonzalez Nieto, a harm reduction provider, drug checking technician, and research assistant at Substance Drug Checking within the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, Canada. The interview covers Pablo’s research article on drug sellers’ use of a drug checking service amid the overdose crisis in British Columbia, Canada.We apologise for the sound quality at points during this episode, but we promise its worth the listen! What a drug checking service is [01:20]The motivation to examine drug sellers’ use of drug checking services [03:33]The difference in findings between drug sellers and drug consumers [08:00] The unique service that Pablo’s drug checking facility provides [09:00]The main take away from the paper [11:41]Using drug checking services as a harm reduction intervention [14:05]Funding cuts to harm reduction services in Canada [16:00]Drug consumption at the World Cup [17:35]About Elle Wadsworth: Elle is an academic fellow with the Society for the Study of Addiction. She is based at the University of Bath with the Addiction and Mental Health Group and her research interests include drug policy, cannabis legalisation, and public health. Elle holds a voluntary role at The Loop, a non-profit service provider of drug checking in the UK. About Pablo González Nieto: Pablo is a harm reduction provider, drug checking technician, and research assistant at Substance Drug Checking, within the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research. He holds an MSc in Social Dimensions of Health from the University of Victoria, where his research focused on the unregulated opioid market and access to drug checking services among key populations. His research interests include drug decriminalization, novel psychoactive substances in the unregulated opioid supply, and the implementation of drug checking services in the Global South, among other topics.Declarations of interest: None Original article: Drug sellers' use of a drug checking service amid the overdose crisis in British Columbia, Canada https://doi.org/10.1111/add.70429 The opinions expressed in this podcast reflect the views of the host and interviewees and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official positions of the SSA or Addiction journal.The SSA does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of the information in external sources or links and accepts no responsibility or liability for any consequences arising from the use of such information.

In this episode, Dr Tsen Vei Lim talks to Drs Grant Comstock and Ryan Feldman. Grant is an Assistant Professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Associate Medical Director of the Wisconsin Poison Center and Ryan is a clinical toxicologist, emergency medicine pharmacist, and Clinical Associate Professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin. The interview covers Grant and Ryan’s article examining the association between state-level kratom regulations and poison center-reported severe medical outcomes and healthcare use in the United States (US). What is kratom? [01:14]Why people are worried about kratom use in the US [02:58]Grant and Ryan’s research question and focus of the study [05:33]The key findings of the study [10:25]The relationship between kratom regulations and kratom-related hospitalisations [12:16]The implications of the findings for existing kratom regulations [13:04]The data that researchers should collect to improve the data vacuum on kratom [18:03]The takeaway from the study: read the discussion! [19:40]About Tsen Vei Lim: Tsen Vei is an academic fellow supported by the Society for the Study of Addiction, currently based at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge. His research integrates computational modelling, experimental psychology, and neuroimaging to understand the neuropsychological basis of addictive behaviours. He holds a PhD in Psychiatry from the University of Cambridge (UK) and a BSc in Psychology from the University of Bath (UK). About Grant Comstock: Grant, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Associate Medical Director of the Wisconsin Poison Center, US. He is board certified in emergency medicine, medical toxicology, and addiction medicine. His academic interests include novel psychoactive substances, harm reduction strategies, and overdose epidemiology. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Comstock is actively involved in research, medical education, and mentorship within emergency medicine and medical toxicology.About Ryan Feldman: Ryan, PharmD, DABAT, FAACT, is a clinical toxicologist, emergency medicine pharmacist, and Clinical Associate Professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He works with the Wisconsin Poison Center, where he helps manage poisoning and overdose cases, and is Toxicology Section Editor for the American Journal of Emergency Medicine. His work focuses on emerging substances, poison center data, overdose trends, and public health responses to toxic exposures. Ryan has published on substances including kratom, phenibut, tianeptine, cannabinoids, and mushroom toxins. He also hosts The Poison Lab, an educational podcast exploring toxicology, outbreaks, and poisoning science.Original article: Association between state-level kratom regulations and poison center-reported severe medical outcomes and healthcare use: A United States national analysis https://doi.org/10.1111/add.70416 The opinions expressed in this podcast reflect the views of the host and interviewees and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official positions of the SSA or Addiction journal.The SSA does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of the information in external sources or links and accepts no responsibility or liability for any consequences arising from the use of such information.Music provided by Jack Shakespeare.

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Dr Tesfa Yimer, a postdoctoral researcher at the National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research, The University of Queensland, Australia. The interview covers Tesfa’s research article taking a regional perspective on substance use related problems in Ethiopia.The importance of examining drug-related problems in Ethiopia [01:00]Commonly consumed drugs in Ethiopia [01:51]Khat and its use in Ethiopia [02:50] The prevalence of Khat [04:08]The relationship between religion and drug use [04:41]The emerging drug-related concerns in Ethiopia [06:05]The transit routes in Ethiopia that make it stand out in East Africa [08:52]The substance use disorder treatment landscape in Ethiopia [09:44]The regulation of tobacco, alcohol, khat and cannabis [11:15]The major research gaps in Ethiopia with regards to drug use [13:19]The take home messages [14:56]About Elle Wadsworth: Elle is an academic fellow with the Society for the Study of Addiction. She is based at the University of Bath with the Addiction and Mental Health Group and her research interests include drug policy, cannabis legalisation, and public health. Elle holds a voluntary role at The Loop, a non-profit service provider of drug checking in the UK. About Tesfa Yimer: Tesfa is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research, The University of Queensland, Australia. Tesfa’s research is focused on addiction epidemiology and drug policy. His research aims to generate evidence-informed policy recommendations to reduce substance-related harms and improve public health outcomes. Tesfa is currently working to understand the social and public health impacts of cannabis policies.Declarations of interest: None Original article: Regional perspectives: Substance use related problems in Ethiopia https://doi.org/10.1111/add.70392The opinions expressed in this podcast reflect the views of the host and interviewees and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official positions of the SSA or Addiction journal.The SSA does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of the information in external sources or links and accepts no responsibility or liability for any consequences arising from the use of such information.