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.

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Dr Amy Peacock, an Associate Professor and Deputy Director of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, and Dr Krista Siefried, a Clinical Research Lead and Deputy Director, of the National Centre for Clinical Research on Emerging Drugs at the University of New South Wales, Australia. The interview covers two research articles: 1) Amy’s article on trends in gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) use, harms and treatment in Australia and 2) Krista’s article on emergency department presentations, hospitalisations and police seizure data related to GHB in New South Wales, Australia.What is GHB? [01:30]Why is GHB an important drug to examine in the Australian population [02:30]The data sources Amy used in her study [04:20] The data sources Krista used in her study [06:45]The key findings of the study [08:21]Metabolites of GHB and risks of consuming GHB with alcohol [13:20]The implications of the findings for policy and treatment in Australia [14:04]The reasons behind the recent increase of GHB in Australia [16:30]The take home messages [19:14]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 voluntary roles at The Loop, a non-profit service provider of drug checking in the UK and the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy. About Amy Peacock: Amy is an Associate Professor, National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Emerging Leadership Fellow and Deputy Director of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales. She is also Program Lead for Drug Trends, a national monitoring system identifying trends in illicit drug use, markets and harms that is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.About Krista Siefried: Krista is Clinical Research Lead and Deputy Director, the National Centre for Clinical Research on Emerging Drugs (NCCRED) at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia. She is also a Senior Lecturer at the UNSW National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), and St Vincent's Hospital Sydney Alcohol and Drug Service. Krista works towards evidence-based interventions to reduce harm and improve healthcare for people who use drugs. Her leadership emphasises collaborative research, deep community engagement, and practical outcomes to address the needs of individuals, families, and frontline service providers.Declarations of interest: Krista is employed by the UNSW and St Vincent’s Health Network Sydney, she has no other conflicts to declare. Original articles: Emergency department presentations, hospitalisations and police seizure data related to gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) in New South Wales, Australia, from 2015 to 2024 https://doi.org/10.1111/add.70202 Trends in gamma-hydroxybutyrate use, harms and treatment in Australia, 2013 to 2024 https://doi.org/10.1111/add.70308The 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, Annika Theodoulou speaks to Dr Vera Buss, a Senior Research Fellow at University College London, and Professor Leonie Brose, a Professor of Addictions & Public Health at King's College London, UK. The interview covers Vera and Leonie’s research article examining the association between the national ‘Swap to Stop’ programme offering free vapes for smoking cessation and quit attempts in England.Background on the Swap to Stop program in England [01:10]The motivations behind the study [01:50]The Smoking Toolkit Study and using an Interrupted Time Series Analysis [03:00]The key findings of the study [04:50]The factors which Vera and Leonie adjusted for [07:00]The policy landscape in England regarding vaping as a smoking cessation aid [07:41]What can other countries learn from the findings [09:12]The surprising results of this study [09:50]The implications of the findings for policy and practice [10:36]About Annika Theodoulou: Annika is a Research Fellow at the National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction at Flinders University, South Australia. Her work focuses on health behaviours, including smoking cessation and weight management, with an emphasis on evidence synthesis. She completed a Doctor of Philosophy in Primary Health Care at the University of Oxford, where her research examined socioeconomic inequalities in smoking cessation behaviours and outcomes using quantitative and qualitative methods. Her doctoral research was funded by the Society for the Study of Addiction and The Rotary Foundation. Annika is an Associate Editor of Nicotine & Tobacco Research and holds a Bachelor of Health Sciences and a Master of Clinical Science from the University of Adelaide.About Vera Buss: Vera is a Senior Research Fellow in Behavioural Science at the UCL Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group and part of the Behavioural Research UK consortium. Her research focuses on understanding and monitoring tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption across Great Britain, drawing on the Smoking and Alcohol Toolkit Studies to evaluate national policies and population‑level behaviour change. Alongside her research, Vera co‑leads undergraduate and postgraduate teaching on health psychology and statistics for public health.About Leonie Brose: Leonie is Professor of Addictions & Public Health at King's College London and Director of the National Institutes for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Policy Research Unit in Addictions. Most of Leonie's research has focused on tobacco control, smoking cessation, smoking and mental health and newer nicotine products and she has co-authored six government-commissioned reviews on vaping. Leonie is active in the Society for the Study of Addiction, the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco and its European chapter. She also contributes as an Editorial Board member for Addiction and Nicotine & Tobacco Research and as Programme Lead for the MSc Addictions at King's. Leonie is an Associate Editor for Addiction and a Trustee for the SSA.Original article: Associations between the national ‘Swap to Stop’ programme offering free vapes for smoking cessation and quit attempts in England: Results from a population-based survey https://doi.org/10.1111/add.70332The 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 by Jack Shakespeare