#21 - The Power of Story at the Kentucky Opioid Use Disorder Summit

In this episode, host Amanda Siebert recaps the recent Kentucky Summit on Exploring Breakthrough Therapeutic Potential for Opioid Use Disorder, which was held in La Grange, Kentucky on November 30. The event brought together practitioners, researchers, policy makers, caregivers, and members of the community to discuss and learn about ibogaine, a psychedelic medicine that has been shown to interrupt opioid use disorder. Kentucky is considering allocating $42 million to study ibogaine after the state received nearly $900 million in settlements from opioid producers and distributors for their role in exacerbating the overdose crisis. In this episode, Amanda gets vulnerable, opening up for the first time publicly about her personal connection to the overdose crisis, and draws connections between the crisis in the Bluegrass state and the province of British Columbia, before highlighting some key discussion points brought up during the summit.

What’s covered

• Amanda’s personal connection to the overdose crisis

• By the numbers: the impact of the overdose crisis in BC and beyond

• Kentucky: one of America’s hardest hit states

• Learning about psychedelics for substance use

• The power of story

• Recapping Kentucky’s interest in ibogaine

• Summit recap: Rick Doblin, Dr. Deborah Mash, Juliana Mulligan

• Stories from panelists Ciprianna Quann, Talia Eisenberg, Ben “Doc” Askins, and Karen Butcher

• Fear and frustration around access to psychedelic treatment, especially for BIPOC communities

Why it’s important:

The overdose crisis is not limited to Kentucky – It exists in varying degrees in every American state and Canadian province, cutting across demographic lines and impacting urban and rural areas alike. Even as psychedelics become part of the mainstream, it’s jarring to see a place like Kentucky be the first to consider funding ibogaine research. What the summit illustrated is that with all of our differences, whether geographical, political, spiritual, or cultural in nature, the pain associated with substance use disorder and overdose is universal, and can unify us to seek out alternative solutions. By the end of the summit, it was clear everyone in the room agreed on one thing: when it comes to substance use disorder in the state of Kentucky and beyond, it’s time to do something different.

Relevant Links:

• The Kentucky Summit on Exploring Breakthrough Therapeutic Potential for Opioid Use Disorder
• Overdoses the leading cause of death in B.C. for those aged for 10 to 59: coroner
• Drug Overdose Deaths
• Drug Overdose Mortality by State
• Beyond Drugs: The Universal Experience of Addiction (Dr. Gabor Mate)