Before moving to Portland to start a psychotherapy private practice, I was a research scientist at Yale University School of Medicine. I specialized in behavioral pharmacology investigations of atypical opioids. I first learned about kratom through that research in 2011, and I have been very interested in it ever since.
Based on my careers as a research scientist and a substance abuse therapist, I am very much against criminalizing kratom users and very much in favor of regulating kratom products. This is the only sensible way to reduce harm, both to kratom users and to society in general. I neither condemn nor condone kratom use, but I absolutely encourage informed consent any time a person decides to use a plant or drug.
Watch this video to learn about the history and science of kratom, and learn for yourself the risks and potential benefits of this plant.
