July 18, 2025

Ep 67: From Pain to Power: How Kratom Transformed John Hanna’s Life

Ep 67: From Pain to Power: How Kratom Transformed John Hanna’s Life
Kratom Stories Podcast
Ep 67: From Pain to Power: How Kratom Transformed John Hanna’s Life

Grappler John Hanna shares how Kratom helped him recover from injury, manage pain, and stay strong through years of intense training. He opens up about overuse, extracts, and lessons learned.

In this episode of the Kratom Stories Podcast, Madalyn Sklar sits down with John, a longtime grappler and Kratom consumer who shares his powerful, no-holds-barred journey with the plant. After a devastating back injury in 2005 left him bedridden and desperate for relief, John discovered Kratom at a local kava bar—and it changed everything. What began as a way to manage pain turned into a life-enhancing tool that helped him return to training, coaching, and living with renewed energy and purpose.

John speaks candidly about his experiences using both whole leaf Kratom and extracts, including a difficult period of overuse that taught him hard lessons about moderation and self-awareness. He offers valuable insights into how Kratom became an alternative to painkillers, how it supports his intense physical lifestyle, and why extracts have become his preferred method. From traveling internationally with Kratom to educating others in his grappling community, John brings a deeply personal, experience-driven perspective to this episode that Kratom consumers—and anyone curious about it—won’t want to miss.

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Please note: The views and experiences shared in this episode are personal and unique to the guest. Kratom, while featured prominently in these stories, is a botanical substance that is unregulated in the U.S. and various countries around the world. The Kratom Stories Podcast and its host, Madalyn Sklar, do not endorse, promote, or encourage the use of Kratom. We simply aim to shed light on personal experiences and narratives related to this plant. If you're considering using Kratom, we strongly urge you to seek professional medical advice, conduct thorough research, and comply with all local laws and guidelines.

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It just it gives you this, I
don't know, I feel like I get

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this sense of freedom from it
when I'm in that flow state, my

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endorphins are going.
It pushes me through the next

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round, the next round, the next
round.

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It's beneficial and it doesn't
it doesn't have a hindrance on

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me.
Let it hinder me, OK.

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And that's why the extract for
me doesn't hinder me.

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Like the holy, like you said,
everybody's different.

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For me, man, It's it's, it's,
it's been a life changer,

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definitely.
So I'm here with John.

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Somebody discovered on YouTube.
I found a YouTube video of John

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talking about kratom.
So of course I had to reach out.

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I remember I sent a comment on
your on your YouTube.

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I say TikTok a lot because I
connect with a lot of people on

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TikTok as well.
But your YouTube video grabbed

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my attention and said we started
connecting through the comments

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and then move over to e-mail.
And John, I'm so excited to have

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you on the podcast to Share your
story.

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So thank you so much for being
here.

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You're welcome.
Thank you.

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My first love.
Though awesome, you know, it's

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been a lot of people's first
podcast because you know, our

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community is just everyday
people, you know, that come on

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and talk about their experience
with kratom.

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It's not, you know, like a
business podcast.

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It's not anything fancy like
that.

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It's just conversations with
people talking about how this

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plant has changed, change their
lives.

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So why don't we first start with
you telling us a little bit

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about yourself and life before
kratom came into the pitcher?

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Oh, I mean, I was, I was always
ambitious to learn how to

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grapple.
That was my main thing is and I

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used to work in kitchens all the
time.

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So I did kitchen work and I
grappled and grappling is very

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hard on the body.
And I discovered kratom later,

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but otherwise growing up in the
house, you know, it was that was

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a bit of a rocky situation, but
it seems to be the story of many

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Americans these days.
Other than that, I hurt my back

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really, really bad in 2005.
This is the poor friend I'm just

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giving, I'm giving you the 2005
on.

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And I heard it really bad in
training, so bad that I couldn't

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walk for like, so I was spent
written late, practically looked

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like I had a broken back.
So I'm playing video games and

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of course that's all I can do to
entertain myself.

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And then I was eating well, I
was eating muscle relaxers that

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I got from the doctor.
They wouldn't give me any

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opioids, which I really needed
them because I would move 1/4 of

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an inch and my back was just
shot.

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Now if anybody doesn't know what
grappling is, it's like it's

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part of MMA, it's wrestling,
it's a lot of hearts, it's a lot

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of hard work on the body and
plus the stress of light.

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Before that my father died and
having to watch out for the

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family.
It was a lot going on.

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But I'm bedridden, can't work
and I was eating probably about

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I got off the street because
nobody, the doctor wouldn't give

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it to me.
So I can call up a couple people

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and I can have a bottle like
this.

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So that's what I got on 1st and
then I had was eating probably

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about 5 pills a day.
That's probably nothing compared

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to what some people do.
And but I got slightly hooked on

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that feeling after a while and
it was it was a little rough.

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I'm like I had to stop.
So I stopped that on my own,

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which it wasn't that bad, but it
was it was a little annoying.

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And then my friends found crowd
of a head shop.

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I forget the name of it.
It was, I don't know, here, try

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this.
I was like, it was at a Kaba

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bar.
So I'm like, OK, I took it.

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And then when I got home later,
the music started sounding

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really good.
So I was like, man, this is

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pretty good.
I was like, this feels just

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like, you know, as close to not
exactly a light as a bike in or

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something.
But it but it did kill the pain

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in my back a little bit and made
me feel a little bit alive.

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And I was like, OK, and that was
when it started with kratom and

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I finally went to the head shop
and used to buy it.

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And then that thing end up
perpetuating into selling it at

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a cover bar and then making a
lot of money.

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So, but for me it was it helped
me give me, energized me and it

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gave me like it was better than
an energy drink, better than a

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coffee to go training grappling
and jiu jitsu.

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So ever since then, that was it.
And I mean, my life has been it

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is what it is.
Maybe that's another time

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getting all that early light
stuff.

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But but before that, I think I
may have had like a slightly

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addictive personality, but the
crowd helped soothe all that

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over and I just didn't know how
to, I don't know how to take it.

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I think there's just a there's a
science to it.

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You eventually just find your
niche when it comes to taking

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it.
And that's what I found.

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I found my niche and how to take
it and, and eventually I didn't,

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it took me a long time to figure
out, well, you know, too much

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will make you sick.
This and that you have to learn

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by trial and error, But it has
really helped me get through the

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physical activities that I get
through.

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It's the main thing.
It's the physical activities and

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the amazing sleep that you get
on it.

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And that was that.
That was pretty much.

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And then I've been ordering it,
you know, for many years, 20

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years now, since 2006, so.
Wow, so you've been consuming

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this for quite a while?
2006?

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Wow.
So they were selling it in smoke

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shops back then?
Oh yeah, yeah, they sell it at

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smoke shops you get with however
many grams and, and yeah, you

104
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had enough to probably depend on
how you took it.

105
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You had it.
I trained a lot.

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So naturally I started taking it
a little bit, a little bit too

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much, I think.
But it's OK.

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It depends on your, everybody's
different.

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But it really helped.
Like through hard work.

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I worked in kitchens too.
So that's that that work is

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that's a chaotic scene.
And then, and then after, after

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the kitchen work, I'm going to
train graphite and then teach it

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and having to keep up and
training.

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This is when I was like 3132.
I'm 50 now and I'll be proud.

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I'm definitely, I've always
called it kratom.

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Everybody calls it kratom.
I've always called it Kratom.

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But it it really it's, it's just
got me through, you know, rough

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days, hard days.
And I mean, I did have to get

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off of it sometimes.
There was a time I had to that

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was like, it was just like a few
days.

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That's only if I took the
extract, but if when I took the

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whole leaf for like a few years,
that was a that was a different

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beast all together.
I don't know, I don't, I don't

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know if you want to get into all
that.

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I don't want to talk about them
or something, but I just, I do

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think that you need to, you need
to regulate yourself a little

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bit on it.
You know, you're not just take

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it like crazy.
And this is my experience.

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Of course, it never made me sick
and like, you know, so sick that

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I had to go to a rehab or, you
know, Oh no, and doom and gloom

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and all that.
I just manned up and just got

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through it.
But other than that, yeah, I'm

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not going to.
I'm not going to stop taking it,

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but I'm going to.
I'm going to take it to what I

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needed for sleep and training.
And, you know, maybe sometimes

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in the middle of the day, just
whatever, maybe I'm reading a

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book or studying or doing
whatever I do.

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That's it.
Yeah.

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So, so you've used extracts and
powder like you've done both or

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like what?
What is your preferred method of

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kratom?
Kratom.

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Do you know you're going to get
me saying kratom?

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Yeah, yeah, I've done both.
First was extract, then was,

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then was the whole leaf because
I couldn't find extract.

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And so I don't know if you want
to hear all that, but the, with

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the, with the, with the with the
whole leaf, I was taking the

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white vein.
That was my favorite one because

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it gave you the energy and you
can sleep on it too.

149
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But the red vein is the one that
really makes you sleepy.

150
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But the, but the white vein was
just as good.

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So yeah, I started with that
with the extract, which I think

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is better.
I think it's better to get an

153
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extract because you take it
every like 6-7 hours and it

154
00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:06,480
doesn't it, it didn't stick to
you so much.

155
00:08:06,680 --> 00:08:09,560
The the whole leaf was a
different beast, like I said

156
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before.
And I think that's people like

157
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to make teas out of it.
I used to just take a spoon

158
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about this big clump water.
I don't get it.

159
00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:20,760
All the Raspberry and the
blueberry.

160
00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:23,680
I'm just, I'm a black coffee guy
and if I drink whiskey, I drink

161
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whiskey.
I take it that I might take it

162
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right, right.
So I'm trying to, I like the

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extract better and I take a 10X
now for, for me, just this is,

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it's a 10X.
It's a very light, light bit and

165
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that's all I want anymore.
I've been through the heavy

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stuff and I would rather take it
like as far as like just just to

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give, just to get me through
training and to get me to sleep.

168
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And that's the only reason why I
take it.

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The extract to me is the best no
matter what.

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That's my yeah.
That's interesting and it's what

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works for you, you know, and,
and, and you know, for whatever

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reason, you know, everybody has
their own reasons for using

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00:09:00,720 --> 00:09:02,240
kratom.
There's so many different, you

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00:09:02,240 --> 00:09:03,520
know, for me, it's just chronic
pain.

175
00:09:03,520 --> 00:09:06,120
That's what I use it for and it
helps tremendously.

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The leaf powder, you know, the
couple of times I've tried a

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00:09:09,160 --> 00:09:12,640
little bit of extract, I guess
because my body likes the whole

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leaf, you know, the whole
spectrum, the full spectrum

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whole leaf powder and with all
the different alkaloids that

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seems to work well on me versus
the extracts were is usually

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just like the two main
alkaloids.

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And then now there are these 70
H products where it's just 70 H,

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like a high dose 70 H.
So you know, there's different

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types of kratom and it's
figuring out what kind of works

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for you and and you know what
you get out of it.

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00:09:37,080 --> 00:09:39,960
Yeah, of course, of course,
naturally and naturally, yeah.

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I mean, the, like I said, the
holy powder, the white vein was

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good.
But yeah, for me it was like I

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felt like I had to take more and
more and more of it.

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And it's like, and I'm like,
well, if I want to, you know, if

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00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:54,480
I want to chase that, you know,
that that energy level that I

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00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:56,960
need for training or, or
weightlifting and whatever it is

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00:09:56,960 --> 00:09:58,360
I do.
I was like, I felt like I just

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needed to eat too much.
And I just maybe, maybe some

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00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:04,800
people got that down to a
science.

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00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:08,000
I couldn't find the science.
I just kept gulping the spoons.

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00:10:08,280 --> 00:10:10,880
And I said, well, it's better to
just take like 1/4 teaspoon.

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00:10:10,880 --> 00:10:14,080
And I still think that I am the
catalyst behind the quarter

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00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:16,920
teaspoon because I think the
first cava bar that ever

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00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:20,000
happened was in was Palm Beach.
And I said, hey guys, this is

201
00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:21,840
how you do it.
I just tried and I eventually

202
00:10:21,840 --> 00:10:23,240
figured it out.
I worked in a kitchen.

203
00:10:23,240 --> 00:10:25,320
I said, you know what?
This quarter teaspoon ought to

204
00:10:25,320 --> 00:10:27,640
be the sweet spot with this
extract.

205
00:10:27,640 --> 00:10:29,520
And I did it.
And I said, hey, this is it man.

206
00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:32,200
I can't find that quarter
teaspoon to this day, but that

207
00:10:32,200 --> 00:10:34,640
should be hanging on.
Can I curse as hanging on a

208
00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:38,960
fucking plaque bark.
It's right there, my picture

209
00:10:38,960 --> 00:10:41,360
because I found that.
Oh God.

210
00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:45,280
But better than the big, you
know, European style teaspoons

211
00:10:45,280 --> 00:10:48,880
here where I'm just golfing off
this green sludge, you know, So

212
00:10:48,880 --> 00:10:51,880
I I kind of like the, like I
said, the extract for me, it

213
00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:54,680
works for me.
So but yeah, I don't think I'm

214
00:10:54,680 --> 00:10:56,560
the catalyst that quarter
teaspoon.

215
00:10:56,560 --> 00:10:59,280
I could be wrong.
It was 2006, 2007.

216
00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:02,800
Well, that was a long time ago.
So yeah, it could have been you

217
00:11:03,080 --> 00:11:04,960
could have been you that started
that whole trend.

218
00:11:04,960 --> 00:11:11,360
That's pretty darn cool.
So So what has had the benefits

219
00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:14,040
been like since you started
kratom way back in 2006?

220
00:11:14,040 --> 00:11:16,320
Like what are all the different?
Because you know, you're using

221
00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:18,200
with your grappling.
You said that helps with that,

222
00:11:18,200 --> 00:11:20,120
but you also mentioned you have
some pain issues.

223
00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:23,480
So how does it just help you
with your just everyday life

224
00:11:23,480 --> 00:11:30,480
you.
Know it's, it's so it's energy

225
00:11:30,480 --> 00:11:32,720
wise, like it's a different type
of energy.

226
00:11:33,280 --> 00:11:38,480
All right, it's it's, I want to
say it gets me more interested

227
00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:41,000
in doing things.
But when you're like when you,

228
00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:43,560
when you take a little bit of
it, it's like, man, I'm going to

229
00:11:43,560 --> 00:11:46,160
go work in the yard.
I want to go do some laundry.

230
00:11:46,360 --> 00:11:49,440
I want it give you a little bit
of motivation to just want to do

231
00:11:49,440 --> 00:11:52,320
things you normally don't feel
like doing, but you should be

232
00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:57,560
motivating yourself to do the
pain and sleep.

233
00:11:57,560 --> 00:12:02,720
Mostly for me it's training and
sleep now, but the benefits of

234
00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:05,800
it was it's just the immense
amount of energy you get from

235
00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:10,520
that get from it to, to rest
with I, I mean, as far as my way

236
00:12:10,560 --> 00:12:14,520
of life, I just felt like, you
know, I have a friend that says

237
00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:18,080
moderation for cowards.
But, but, but there's like I

238
00:12:18,080 --> 00:12:21,680
feel like with coffee, alcohol
or anything that you take, which

239
00:12:21,680 --> 00:12:24,960
alcohol is freaking legal still.
It's like, you know, when people

240
00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:26,480
are dying left and right from
that.

241
00:12:26,560 --> 00:12:30,400
I think everything in moderation
with this, it was moderation was

242
00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:34,960
key to, but it got the, the, the
best part about it was it got me

243
00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:37,680
not thinking about those damn
painkillers too.

244
00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:42,400
Because the cocktail for any
athlete, I think most athletes,

245
00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:46,600
maybe not all of them take, you
know, steroids and painkillers,

246
00:12:46,920 --> 00:12:50,400
you know, or anabolic antigens
and pain and painkillers.

247
00:12:50,400 --> 00:12:53,240
But that's usually the cocktail
for people that they want to

248
00:12:53,680 --> 00:12:56,240
push through the pain.
They want to, you know, so it's

249
00:12:56,240 --> 00:12:59,280
like you have, you know, and
it's, you don't need to be

250
00:12:59,280 --> 00:13:03,600
taking opioids, like hard
opioids and, and the other.

251
00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:07,160
And of course, have a doctor
always monitor you when you take

252
00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:09,240
anabolic antigens.
For the record, guys, that's a

253
00:13:09,240 --> 00:13:11,480
disclaimer.
I have a doctor for me right

254
00:13:11,480 --> 00:13:12,200
now.
I'm doing that.

255
00:13:12,680 --> 00:13:18,000
But yeah, it's just, it's, it's
it just it gives you this.

256
00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:21,320
I don't know, I feel like I get
this sense of freedom from it

257
00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:24,600
when I'm in that flow state, my
endorphins are going, it pushes

258
00:13:24,600 --> 00:13:27,320
me through the next round, the
next round, the next round.

259
00:13:27,880 --> 00:13:30,480
It's beneficial and it doesn't
and it doesn't have a hindrance

260
00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:33,920
on me.
Let it hinder me, OK, And that's

261
00:13:33,920 --> 00:13:35,600
why the extract for me doesn't
hinder me.

262
00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:39,280
Like the holy, like you said,
everybody's different for me,

263
00:13:39,280 --> 00:13:42,200
man, It's it's it's it's been a
life changer.

264
00:13:42,360 --> 00:13:45,800
Definitely, like I said,
everything in moderation.

265
00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:47,240
I don't know if that answers
your question.

266
00:13:47,240 --> 00:13:51,680
I, I'm trying to find, you know,
fancy and you know, fancy words

267
00:13:51,680 --> 00:13:54,120
here to say what it makes me
feel like, but it makes me feel

268
00:13:54,120 --> 00:13:59,000
damn great.
Hey, that's that's what matters

269
00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:03,040
in this rate that you get that
experience with with kratom.

270
00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:08,640
So what do you think is the key
to responsible use?

271
00:14:08,640 --> 00:14:11,920
You know, we hear all the time
about people that consume

272
00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:15,680
extracts and they just overuse
it to the point that it becomes

273
00:14:15,680 --> 00:14:18,400
a real problem for them.
So what are your thoughts on

274
00:14:18,400 --> 00:14:19,520
that?
Because it sounds like you're

275
00:14:19,520 --> 00:14:22,440
just a very responsible extract
consumer.

276
00:14:23,240 --> 00:14:27,080
Yeah.
I mean, if, if I can freely

277
00:14:27,080 --> 00:14:31,000
speak about my experience of
getting off the whole leaf as

278
00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:32,640
opposed to the extract, is that
OK?

279
00:14:32,640 --> 00:14:33,760
Sure.
Absolutely.

280
00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:38,880
I'm just saying the extract was
easy because all I had to take

281
00:14:38,880 --> 00:14:41,080
was three quarter teaspoons a
day and I'm golden.

282
00:14:41,720 --> 00:14:43,560
You know, it's like, yeah, it
is, man.

283
00:14:43,560 --> 00:14:45,680
Feeling great, doing good, my
trainings good.

284
00:14:45,680 --> 00:14:47,840
I'm getting through my weight
routines nicely.

285
00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:50,600
I can do it without the stuff,
but if it gives me that boost,

286
00:14:50,600 --> 00:14:54,320
I'm going to take it.
But I was taking the whole leaf.

287
00:14:55,120 --> 00:14:57,880
Like I said, I felt like I had
to gulp so much of it down to

288
00:14:57,880 --> 00:15:00,720
get that buzz that I needed to
get going.

289
00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:05,160
And the experience of coming off
the whole league was a different

290
00:15:05,160 --> 00:15:08,360
monster because I, this was only
four years ago.

291
00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:12,240
I was like, OK, I've been taking
this for almost 14 years, 15

292
00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:14,480
years now.
I was like, I need, I need to

293
00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:18,560
just, I'm going to taper.
I was like, whatever that is

294
00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:21,200
because I didn't know.
So like, I'm like, all right,

295
00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:22,720
I'm going to just cut.
I'm going to cut everything in

296
00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:25,560
half.
Oh, I learned real quick I

297
00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:28,360
cutted everything in half.
So 70 grams, I'm cutting down to

298
00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:30,400
about 35 grams a day of that
stuff.

299
00:15:30,640 --> 00:15:33,320
I mean, it was my fault for
going crazy.

300
00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:35,320
It was.
It's my responsibility, you

301
00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:37,920
know, but it.
Was 70 grams a day.

302
00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:40,440
Almost almost 70 grams a day.
That's.

303
00:15:41,120 --> 00:15:42,720
That's actually that's quite a
bit.

304
00:15:42,960 --> 00:15:44,600
That's a lot.
Was that over time?

305
00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:47,760
Like how do you remember?
Like I know it was a long time

306
00:15:47,760 --> 00:15:49,760
ago when you started.
Do you remember how much powder

307
00:15:49,760 --> 00:15:51,440
you started with?
And like was there just this

308
00:15:51,440 --> 00:15:54,560
progression of just more and
more and more over time?

309
00:15:55,440 --> 00:15:57,240
Do you?
Remember, yeah, a little bit.

310
00:15:57,240 --> 00:16:00,120
Then I started noticing like
with even with, with any of it,

311
00:16:00,160 --> 00:16:03,080
but with the extract tune, I was
like, oh wow, this is weird.

312
00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:04,520
I feel kind of weird in the
middle of the night.

313
00:16:04,520 --> 00:16:06,560
I haven't had it two days.
I'm like, I'm kind of feeling

314
00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:08,080
kind of weird.
I'm like, what is this?

315
00:16:08,120 --> 00:16:12,360
I was like, oh, OK, you know, it
was, it was not, I started

316
00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:15,160
putting it together what it was.
I wasn't really researching

317
00:16:15,160 --> 00:16:16,720
anything.
I'm just like, this feels great.

318
00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:23,560
I'm going to take this.
But yeah, the the, the, the

319
00:16:23,560 --> 00:16:26,200
extract was easy going.
If I had to be without it, three

320
00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:29,240
days, four days, I was good to
go, you know, maybe a little bit

321
00:16:29,240 --> 00:16:31,760
of funk, but it was gone,
whatever it was.

322
00:16:31,760 --> 00:16:35,400
But with the with the whole
leagues taking so damn much of

323
00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:37,880
it and not doing it right, maybe
there's a science behind the

324
00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:41,720
holy I don't know about.
And if there is, then then I I

325
00:16:41,720 --> 00:16:45,240
should learn something, you
know, because it looks like I

326
00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:47,520
didn't learn anything.
I'm just sitting there gulping

327
00:16:47,520 --> 00:16:54,080
these spoons out water boom,
coffee, coffee, coffee and it

328
00:16:54,360 --> 00:16:56,560
it.
I was feeling like the, the Nat

329
00:16:56,560 --> 00:17:00,400
that what people normally feel
the shivers can't sleep good.

330
00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:04,599
Just I was sleeping 2 1/2 hours
a night for almost 8 months,

331
00:17:04,760 --> 00:17:08,319
tapering off that and it was
starting to ruin my mental

332
00:17:08,319 --> 00:17:09,640
health.
And then of course, having a

333
00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:14,079
test for the bid every day
because you know, I, I didn't,

334
00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:16,520
I, I didn't take the ouchie, if
you know what I mean.

335
00:17:16,960 --> 00:17:22,079
And so I'm, I'm like, you know,
waking up at 5 four 4:00 in the

336
00:17:22,079 --> 00:17:24,560
morning, 43530 morning to go to
the test center to take the

337
00:17:24,560 --> 00:17:26,520
piece of paper to work coming
off that stuff.

338
00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:29,840
So the stress was like, oh, like
maybe I need, maybe there's some

339
00:17:29,840 --> 00:17:32,160
kind of karmic connection.
I need to feel this because this

340
00:17:32,160 --> 00:17:36,320
sucks, you know?
And I'm like not sleeping.

341
00:17:37,240 --> 00:17:39,760
If anybody would even talk to
me, I'd be just absolutely

342
00:17:39,760 --> 00:17:41,160
irritated.
And there were being nights I'm

343
00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:42,600
like this, something's wrong
here.

344
00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:45,360
I was like, I can't be, I was
like, I could have never went

345
00:17:45,360 --> 00:17:52,200
that far with it to begin with.
And I, I just, I, I, I think I,

346
00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:55,360
I really think the extracts, I
don't know how many people would

347
00:17:55,360 --> 00:17:58,760
agree with me, but I think the
extract is truly where it's at.

348
00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:02,720
Because if I had to stop or if
they decided to make it illegal,

349
00:18:02,880 --> 00:18:05,320
which is stupid anyway, in my
opinion, but if they decided to

350
00:18:05,320 --> 00:18:08,000
make it illegal, I could be
like, OK, no problem.

351
00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:11,000
Few days that I'm done on that.
But I was taking it that thing

352
00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:13,400
that if that was on the chopping
block and it was done at that

353
00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:16,720
time, that would have been
something that would have been

354
00:18:16,720 --> 00:18:19,480
something that's all I can say.
I was like, I was like, I don't

355
00:18:19,480 --> 00:18:22,640
want to give kratom a bad name
because it shouldn't have a bad

356
00:18:22,640 --> 00:18:24,120
name.
I think it should be free for

357
00:18:24,120 --> 00:18:27,960
everybody to use.
And I did not want to slander it

358
00:18:28,160 --> 00:18:31,400
in any way because at the time I
was hating him, going through

359
00:18:31,400 --> 00:18:34,520
the withdrawals from the holy, I
didn't like.

360
00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:36,760
And I was like, this sucks.
But I was never going to get

361
00:18:36,760 --> 00:18:39,320
online and say, let's stop this
garbage, don't do it.

362
00:18:39,320 --> 00:18:42,960
No, I was an irresponsible idiot
and I did it wrong and I just

363
00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:44,800
have too much of it.
It was my fault.

364
00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:48,920
We don't make mistakes.
So you know, that's my that's my

365
00:18:48,920 --> 00:18:52,440
thing with with if I get off of
it, if I wanted to get off of

366
00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:55,120
it, the extract is the way.
I'm not just going to be a few

367
00:18:55,120 --> 00:18:58,200
days and I'm good.
That's me with the other, forget

368
00:18:58,200 --> 00:18:59,520
it.
I'll be gulping that down until

369
00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:02,320
I get to that feeling that I
need to be able to train or work

370
00:19:02,320 --> 00:19:04,000
out.
And then when I can't have it or

371
00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:06,520
it comes late in the mail or
whatever it may be, I'm not

372
00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:08,600
going through this like, where's
it?

373
00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:10,080
Where's it?
I'm going through all this

374
00:19:10,440 --> 00:19:13,120
hysteria.
So I've finally learned my

375
00:19:13,120 --> 00:19:15,520
lesson.
Extract is the way.

376
00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:18,600
Yeah, it's figuring out what
works for you.

377
00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:22,200
And, you know, this kratom works
differently for everyone.

378
00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:25,520
Yeah.
So like I, I, I'm actually at my

379
00:19:25,520 --> 00:19:28,320
six year anniversary of
consuming kratom powder every

380
00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:30,880
day, multiple times a day for my
chronic pain.

381
00:19:30,960 --> 00:19:32,680
I've never had to have a
tolerance break.

382
00:19:32,880 --> 00:19:36,440
I know lots of people have had
to take tolerance breaks because

383
00:19:36,600 --> 00:19:38,800
if they just keep going at the
rate they're going, they need

384
00:19:38,800 --> 00:19:41,760
more, more, more.
And which sounds like what

385
00:19:41,760 --> 00:19:44,440
happened to you, you just taking
more and more.

386
00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:48,320
And I I have not very sad at all
and I've not had to take a

387
00:19:48,320 --> 00:19:50,960
tolerance break.
So I've been at the same I take

388
00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:56,960
about 5g multiple times it's
like 5-5 grams every six hours.

389
00:19:56,960 --> 00:20:00,840
So like 4 times a day.
So my Max is 20 grams a day

390
00:20:00,840 --> 00:20:03,440
which.
For some people that's a lot,

391
00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:05,720
for others they take a little
bit more.

392
00:20:05,840 --> 00:20:07,280
But it sounds like what you're
telling me.

393
00:20:07,280 --> 00:20:09,040
I didn't know you were at 70
grams a day.

394
00:20:09,040 --> 00:20:10,280
That's all.
That's a lot.

395
00:20:10,280 --> 00:20:13,640
We don't hear that too often.
And I could see where that was

396
00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:16,360
hard to taper down off of
because that's a lot of powder.

397
00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:21,440
But if extracts are working
better, I think that's awesome.

398
00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:22,760
You know that we.
Found that.

399
00:20:24,200 --> 00:20:29,240
Yeah, that work for you without
the issue of overuse and and you

400
00:20:29,240 --> 00:20:31,560
know, getting to the point where
you can't stop taking it.

401
00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:35,120
Yeah, because it was like, it
was like every 3 1/2 hours I was

402
00:20:35,120 --> 00:20:38,680
feeling hard withdrawals, like
like when I was taking that

403
00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:40,200
much, I should have never taken
that much.

404
00:20:40,200 --> 00:20:42,520
I should have kept my tolerance
at at the right level.

405
00:20:42,520 --> 00:20:44,480
But I did.
I said a few days, I can get

406
00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:45,640
over it.
What was I wrong?

407
00:20:46,240 --> 00:20:49,120
So I said, OK, stop, stop the
bus here.

408
00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:52,040
I'm like, I'm going to start
writing down what I'm taking

409
00:20:52,040 --> 00:20:53,400
every day.
I'm going to measure it.

410
00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:55,880
Got a scale?
I listen to all the advice on

411
00:20:55,880 --> 00:20:58,360
Reddit, on YouTube, and
everywhere else and there's a

412
00:20:58,360 --> 00:21:01,240
lot of very brilliant people out
there that really knew how to do

413
00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:02,560
it.
So I was taking advice from

414
00:21:02,680 --> 00:21:05,680
everybody and at all, I brought
it all into one.

415
00:21:05,680 --> 00:21:08,000
I'm like, OK, I'm going to
measure what I'm taking every

416
00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:09,640
couple of days.
I'm going to take a little bit

417
00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:13,040
off each dose.
And I was taking 8A day, 8 doses

418
00:21:13,040 --> 00:21:14,800
a day.
So look, if you can still take

419
00:21:14,800 --> 00:21:17,680
it a day, but just chop off a
little bit at a time while you

420
00:21:17,680 --> 00:21:19,880
measure it.
So that's what I was doing every

421
00:21:19,880 --> 00:21:22,760
day with that measure, 8 times a
day.

422
00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:25,720
I'll do that every day writing
down the log.

423
00:21:25,880 --> 00:21:29,800
I wish right now I don't know
where I put the papers at, but

424
00:21:29,920 --> 00:21:35,000
and I finally got it down to 1/4
down, I think around 1/4 of a

425
00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:40,200
grain of just holy every day.
One time a day I said, you're

426
00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:42,800
going to get that little bit at
night to say it's nothing.

427
00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:47,160
It's nothing, you know, And I
finally said OK tonight nothing.

428
00:21:47,440 --> 00:21:50,080
And then I finally slept all the
way through and I realized I

429
00:21:50,080 --> 00:21:53,080
made it.
But I still at times had those.

430
00:21:53,120 --> 00:21:56,840
What do they call that?
That the post, forget what it's

431
00:21:56,840 --> 00:22:00,360
called, like a post withdrawal
or something, but every so

432
00:22:00,360 --> 00:22:02,680
often, like twice a week, I
would get that.

433
00:22:02,760 --> 00:22:05,640
I'm up at 2:30 in the morning, I
can't go back to sleep.

434
00:22:05,720 --> 00:22:07,520
That would happen every so
often.

435
00:22:07,920 --> 00:22:10,120
And that's where the crowd was
nice.

436
00:22:10,400 --> 00:22:13,720
OK, it's next to me.
Boom, I'm sleeping another five

437
00:22:13,720 --> 00:22:15,760
hours.
I'm golden, I'm recovered.

438
00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:18,960
That's what it did for me too,
is it helped me recover in

439
00:22:18,960 --> 00:22:20,800
training.
So when you sleep you out,

440
00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:24,400
obviously you recover.
So that's what it was giving me

441
00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:26,520
that real hard sleep, 8 hours a
night.

442
00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:29,920
I was strong, I was fast even
for my age, you know, I'm like,

443
00:22:30,480 --> 00:22:34,400
this feels great.
But that was, yeah, that that's

444
00:22:34,400 --> 00:22:37,400
my story.
With that I learned.

445
00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:41,440
Yeah, right.
Well, and I, I have to say it's,

446
00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:45,920
it's, it's nice when, when to
hear somebody who kind of fell

447
00:22:45,920 --> 00:22:49,920
into, you know, the hole you
went into were consuming a lot

448
00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:52,880
of powder, trying to taper down,
trying to stop and how hard it

449
00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:54,000
was.
I can't even imagine how

450
00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:57,000
difficult that must have been.
I mean, just from you describing

451
00:22:57,000 --> 00:23:00,400
it, I get the picture.
It does not sound pleasant at

452
00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:01,320
all.
But you're also taking

453
00:23:01,320 --> 00:23:04,600
responsibility.
So many people that we connect

454
00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:07,720
with through social media, they
demonize the, they blame the

455
00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:09,840
plant.
They don't take responsibility

456
00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:15,440
for when they overuse that
amount of Kratom and they come

457
00:23:15,440 --> 00:23:17,480
after us.
We're the bad guys to them

458
00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:20,320
because we're saying that, you
know, kratom is great.

459
00:23:20,320 --> 00:23:23,040
I mean, but we're always saying
like in moderation and and

460
00:23:23,240 --> 00:23:28,040
responsible use, but they just
don't ever take responsibility.

461
00:23:28,040 --> 00:23:31,760
And it's just it's nice as as a
kratom consumer and advocate,

462
00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:35,440
like to hear your story and that
like you're just taking full

463
00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:37,840
responsibility that you
understood that you were taking

464
00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:39,960
too much and it wasn't a great
idea.

465
00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:45,280
I can't even imagine how I don't
see how I could get 70 grams of

466
00:23:45,280 --> 00:23:47,480
powder down.
I mean, just the amount of

467
00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:51,000
powder I consume is, is enough.
And it's like, but we hear

468
00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:54,080
people talk about that and it
happens.

469
00:23:54,080 --> 00:23:57,320
We know that happens.
But also the, the positive with

470
00:23:57,320 --> 00:23:59,560
extracts is you're like you've
talked about, you're not having

471
00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:02,240
to consume all that powder.
You're getting that extract

472
00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:04,600
form.
So it's, it's more concentrated.

473
00:24:04,960 --> 00:24:07,640
I mean, we, well, we talked to a
lot of people that are new to

474
00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:11,280
kratom in our community online
and we're always trying to

475
00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:13,640
educate people to understand
what they're consuming.

476
00:24:13,640 --> 00:24:16,280
Because sometimes they go into a
smoke shop and the smoke shops

477
00:24:16,280 --> 00:24:19,440
point to the extracts and they
don't, they hear us talk about

478
00:24:19,440 --> 00:24:22,360
how great this is.
But we typically are talking

479
00:24:22,360 --> 00:24:25,760
about powder, which you know,
can be quite different from

480
00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:27,240
extracts.
And we just trying to make sure

481
00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:30,520
people understand exactly what
you're consuming.

482
00:24:30,760 --> 00:24:34,120
And especially if an extract is
multiple servings because

483
00:24:34,120 --> 00:24:37,640
sometimes in very small print
it'll be like multiple servings,

484
00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:41,280
but people see it looking like
the five hour G any energy drink

485
00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:42,960
that you just down the whole
bottle.

486
00:24:43,320 --> 00:24:46,800
So, yeah, so we're just only
trying to make sure people at

487
00:24:46,800 --> 00:24:51,480
least read exactly the packaging
of what they're consuming and

488
00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:55,680
know what it is.
You know that that's usually our

489
00:24:55,680 --> 00:24:58,920
take on it in the community.
Just know what you're consuming

490
00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:02,080
and and you know, be
responsible.

491
00:25:03,320 --> 00:25:06,640
But your story, John, is
fascinating of like how

492
00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:10,240
especially how I discovered you
from your video talking about

493
00:25:10,240 --> 00:25:13,320
using kratom for grappling.
I didn't when I saw your video.

494
00:25:13,320 --> 00:25:14,600
I have to say, I didn't know
what grappling was.

495
00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:18,120
I had to go Google it to like,
you know, learn about it.

496
00:25:18,120 --> 00:25:21,480
But I figured, I figured it was
like an MMA kind of thing like

497
00:25:21,480 --> 00:25:23,640
you had said earlier.
Yeah, it's part of it.

498
00:25:23,760 --> 00:25:28,520
Yeah.
I mean, yeah, it's nobody else I

499
00:25:28,520 --> 00:25:33,000
know takes it for training.
I do, I've, I've, I've

500
00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:35,840
recommended it to people, but I
am, I'm always educating them

501
00:25:35,840 --> 00:25:38,480
too.
And I wish I was more educated

502
00:25:38,480 --> 00:25:42,600
with the holy thing, but you
know, you live and learn.

503
00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:44,000
That's me.
Trial by fire.

504
00:25:45,320 --> 00:25:48,000
Yeah, and it happens.
I mean, that's life, you know,

505
00:25:48,240 --> 00:25:53,480
that's real life.
And I know some people go

506
00:25:53,480 --> 00:25:56,680
through that and then get, get
to the other side and are more

507
00:25:56,680 --> 00:25:59,880
educated and can make better,
you know, better decisions on

508
00:25:59,880 --> 00:26:03,120
moving forward, whether to stop
completely or like in your case

509
00:26:03,120 --> 00:26:06,400
where you just switch to the
extracts and you, and from what

510
00:26:06,400 --> 00:26:09,240
you're telling us, it works
great for you and helps you with

511
00:26:09,240 --> 00:26:11,840
your training, which is always
great to hear.

512
00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:14,560
Is it helping you with any of
the pain issues that you've had?

513
00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:20,200
Yeah, it does gets me through
that too, whether whether I'm,

514
00:26:20,560 --> 00:26:23,440
if I'm grappling or lifting
weights, it gets me like if I'm

515
00:26:24,600 --> 00:26:29,200
contorted in all these positions
and grappling, I'm like, I

516
00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:30,600
couldn't, I can't even show it
to you.

517
00:26:30,600 --> 00:26:32,600
You know, you get in these weird
positions where you get, you

518
00:26:32,600 --> 00:26:35,520
know, your back is twisted, your
arm is this way, your legs this

519
00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:37,960
way.
You just imagine wrestling and

520
00:26:37,960 --> 00:26:40,920
of course being in my age and
wrestling around with 20 year

521
00:26:40,920 --> 00:26:43,600
old kids, you know, it's like
that's, that's a whole different

522
00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:45,320
beast now.
I've been doing this for 30

523
00:26:45,320 --> 00:26:48,280
years, but you know, it catches
up to you a little bit.

524
00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:51,040
It gets, it gets me through
those.

525
00:26:51,040 --> 00:26:53,960
But the pain, yeah, it gets me
through it because I'll take it

526
00:26:53,960 --> 00:26:57,200
after training also.
Like I'll take it a little bit

527
00:26:57,200 --> 00:27:01,360
before, like 3:00 PM and then,
you know, have my coffee and all

528
00:27:01,360 --> 00:27:03,120
that.
I'll lift weights for an hour

529
00:27:03,360 --> 00:27:05,760
and then I'll go do my class.
And I teach too.

530
00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:08,320
I'm a teacher, so I'm, I got to
coach the guy.

531
00:27:08,320 --> 00:27:10,880
So that really it's good.
It's good for the whole thing.

532
00:27:10,880 --> 00:27:13,880
It just helps me.
It gets me into that vibe too.

533
00:27:13,880 --> 00:27:16,280
Like I'm teaching because it
makes you want to talk a lot

534
00:27:16,280 --> 00:27:18,520
anyway.
So I'm like, I'm like teaching

535
00:27:18,520 --> 00:27:20,760
them how to do all this stuff
and it's I'm feeling good the

536
00:27:20,760 --> 00:27:22,640
whole time.
And now I got to get physical

537
00:27:22,640 --> 00:27:24,400
with them.
So I trained with them later.

538
00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:28,480
That's a lot for a guy my age
going from weightlifting into

539
00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:30,040
hard wrestling with a bunch of
guys.

540
00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:33,840
So, you know, and, and for the
pain, it gets me through there.

541
00:27:33,840 --> 00:27:36,640
Whatever's, whatever may be
hurting on me with the

542
00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:39,320
adrenaline rush and of course
the cratum inside me now I'm

543
00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:42,760
saying cratum that's.
My fault, sorry.

544
00:27:43,320 --> 00:27:46,720
That's all good.
It's, it's helping me, it's

545
00:27:46,720 --> 00:27:49,240
helping me get through it all.
So I don't think about the

546
00:27:49,240 --> 00:27:51,120
pigment.
It just sort of gets my mind off

547
00:27:51,120 --> 00:27:53,680
of it.
And of course, yes, ibuprofen is

548
00:27:53,680 --> 00:27:57,440
a part of my vitamin path, you
know, so I'm taking sometimes

549
00:27:57,440 --> 00:28:00,800
400 milligrams of I'd use after
the training just so the muscles

550
00:28:01,360 --> 00:28:03,480
come down a little bit.
But I don't take that crap all

551
00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:06,480
day.
But, but ibuprofen is also a

552
00:28:06,480 --> 00:28:09,160
part of a part of that.
So it's like I use a little eye

553
00:28:09,160 --> 00:28:13,920
view at the night, my magnesium
and zinc, and I am sleeping, I

554
00:28:13,920 --> 00:28:16,560
am sleeping, I'm recovering and
I can do it the next day.

555
00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:18,680
So yeah, for the pain,
absolutely.

556
00:28:18,680 --> 00:28:22,320
It's smashed, the pain.
That's excellent.

557
00:28:22,320 --> 00:28:26,800
That's great to hear.
Is, is kratom popular with the

558
00:28:26,800 --> 00:28:29,200
grappling community?
Is this something that that you

559
00:28:29,200 --> 00:28:31,800
know your your fellow community?
Do they, are they aware of

560
00:28:31,800 --> 00:28:33,800
kratom?
Do they know much about it?

561
00:28:34,520 --> 00:28:38,560
I, I, I brought it up to them.
A lot of people throughout the

562
00:28:38,560 --> 00:28:41,040
years that I've been here in
Germany, but, and a lot of them

563
00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:44,320
are loving stuff.
I'm like, I'm like, just be

564
00:28:44,320 --> 00:28:46,040
careful, man.
Don't get too crazy.

565
00:28:46,040 --> 00:28:48,520
Just, you know, just take a
little bit for training, know

566
00:28:48,520 --> 00:28:50,720
what you're doing, read about
it, educate yourself.

567
00:28:50,720 --> 00:28:55,080
They got German websites that
talk about it, you know, so, but

568
00:28:55,080 --> 00:28:58,760
yeah, they, I always try to
educate them on it, saying look,

569
00:28:58,760 --> 00:29:01,720
just a little bit and then it'll
get you through.

570
00:29:01,720 --> 00:29:04,880
And I don't know if it's super
popular.

571
00:29:05,080 --> 00:29:08,720
I'm pretty sure that there are
gyms out there where people do

572
00:29:08,720 --> 00:29:11,600
use it.
I don't know.

573
00:29:11,720 --> 00:29:13,480
I don't know.
I don't know and I don't think

574
00:29:13,480 --> 00:29:15,520
so.
But there are people in my

575
00:29:15,520 --> 00:29:17,840
training that know about it.
There's one guy who went to

576
00:29:17,840 --> 00:29:20,440
Thailand, or was it Thailand?
Yeah, I was in Thailand and he

577
00:29:20,440 --> 00:29:24,280
said a lot of the Thais before
they do Thai boxing, they'll be

578
00:29:24,600 --> 00:29:26,480
they'll be taking it.
They'll they'll sneak up a

579
00:29:26,480 --> 00:29:28,920
little drink and start taking
Grab and then they'll start

580
00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:32,080
doing Thai boxing.
So yeah, the ties use it for

581
00:29:32,080 --> 00:29:34,680
their sport, believe it or not.
So yeah.

582
00:29:34,960 --> 00:29:36,760
That might be like their secret
weapon.

583
00:29:36,760 --> 00:29:40,240
Like, we got this special leap
and we like our little tea.

584
00:29:40,720 --> 00:29:41,440
Yeah.
Yeah.

585
00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:44,160
Because I I know over in
Southeast Asia, you know, it's

586
00:29:44,160 --> 00:29:46,360
been used for thousands of years
over there.

587
00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:48,480
Not so much the way we do it in
America.

588
00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:51,360
I mean, it's mostly like them
just, you know, making a tea,

589
00:29:51,360 --> 00:29:55,280
you know, putting the leaves in
a pot, boiling it, making a nice

590
00:29:55,320 --> 00:29:56,720
little tea that they drink all
day.

591
00:29:56,720 --> 00:30:00,000
But yeah, it's probably like
their little secret potion to to

592
00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:02,560
do really well, you know, in the
ring.

593
00:30:02,760 --> 00:30:05,920
That's so interesting.
But also you're over in Germany.

594
00:30:06,600 --> 00:30:10,080
I have really been keeping up
with kratom legalities overseas.

595
00:30:10,080 --> 00:30:14,480
I know there's some countries in
Europe that have been kratom and

596
00:30:15,360 --> 00:30:17,320
I don't know, I just haven't
heard a whole lot.

597
00:30:17,520 --> 00:30:20,080
So what was?
So in Germany everything's fine,

598
00:30:20,080 --> 00:30:23,280
Like there's no issues with
kratom and nothing that comes up

599
00:30:23,280 --> 00:30:27,440
in government about it.
So, you know, like I said before

600
00:30:27,640 --> 00:30:29,600
I alluded to it, it was in
Belgium.

601
00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:33,240
They they completely banned it.
And and so now Germany wants,

602
00:30:33,400 --> 00:30:34,680
you know, it's following suit
there.

603
00:30:34,680 --> 00:30:37,080
So they've got a whole community
of people over here that are

604
00:30:37,080 --> 00:30:39,440
fighting against it and
rightfully so, including the

605
00:30:39,440 --> 00:30:42,120
website where I get it from.
They've been very good to meet

606
00:30:42,120 --> 00:30:43,160
these people.
They're very good.

607
00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:46,440
They're very good about delivery
product, you know, quality and

608
00:30:46,440 --> 00:30:50,680
everything else.
But yeah, we've got a community

609
00:30:50,680 --> 00:30:51,960
of people that are fighting
against it.

610
00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:53,960
As far as Germany, it's in a
Gray area.

611
00:30:54,480 --> 00:30:58,120
You know, if I order it from
America, which I did when I

612
00:30:58,120 --> 00:31:01,560
first moved here, I was getting
it from the I am, I am sham.

613
00:31:01,560 --> 00:31:04,560
And it would get here in about a
week and I would pay all the

614
00:31:04,560 --> 00:31:07,040
fees or whatever and it would
get here and it was fine.

615
00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:09,200
It was coming for about a couple
months, then all of a sudden I

616
00:31:09,200 --> 00:31:14,160
got the custom stamp and I had
to go through that process.

617
00:31:14,160 --> 00:31:17,600
So going through that
bureaucratic bullshit they did

618
00:31:17,600 --> 00:31:19,280
the stuff from America was
something.

619
00:31:19,360 --> 00:31:22,880
So I mean, I'm like, OK, oh,
it's probably medicine, I don't

620
00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:24,720
know.
But it's like, this is a yeah,

621
00:31:24,720 --> 00:31:27,360
but it's not illegal, man.
You know, I was like, yeah, but

622
00:31:27,360 --> 00:31:29,640
we're going to have to test it.
And trust me, in Germany, you

623
00:31:29,680 --> 00:31:31,600
ain't got a choice.
It's a different, it's a

624
00:31:31,600 --> 00:31:34,240
different beast here.
They can do whatever they want.

625
00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:37,160
The authorities, we can kind of,
we can kind of fight against our

626
00:31:37,160 --> 00:31:40,080
government, sort of an American
really.

627
00:31:40,080 --> 00:31:41,960
But we can, there's loopholes
over here.

628
00:31:42,320 --> 00:31:44,720
It's absolution.
You know, it's like, now we're

629
00:31:44,720 --> 00:31:46,160
going to take it and we're going
to test it.

630
00:31:46,440 --> 00:31:49,480
So there I am, you know, two
days away from it, going through

631
00:31:49,480 --> 00:31:52,080
withdrawals a little bit.
You know, I'm like, fuck, you

632
00:31:52,080 --> 00:31:54,600
know, like this sucks.
And so I had to wait.

633
00:31:54,640 --> 00:31:56,560
I had no anywhere else to get
anymore.

634
00:31:56,560 --> 00:31:59,440
So I just had to man up through
it and and I probably got it

635
00:31:59,440 --> 00:32:02,480
back in six weeks.
And they said, oh, everything's

636
00:32:02,480 --> 00:32:03,640
good.
You can have this.

637
00:32:04,320 --> 00:32:05,880
Thanks.
Wow.

638
00:32:07,280 --> 00:32:08,880
Yeah.
They either destroy it or they

639
00:32:08,880 --> 00:32:10,520
give it back to you.
It's like you want to destroy

640
00:32:10,520 --> 00:32:11,920
it.
I was like, Nah, give it back to

641
00:32:11,920 --> 00:32:13,680
me.
It was my property.

642
00:32:13,680 --> 00:32:16,320
I paid for that.
You know, it's like, so, yeah,

643
00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:18,080
but it's a pain.
That's why you got to order it

644
00:32:18,080 --> 00:32:20,520
within the EU.
Don't, don't be like, I'll tell,

645
00:32:20,520 --> 00:32:23,720
I'll tell anybody over here, you
know, don't order it from

646
00:32:23,720 --> 00:32:25,880
outside the country.
You're going to get a little bit

647
00:32:25,880 --> 00:32:27,440
of an issue with it, with
customs.

648
00:32:27,800 --> 00:32:32,360
So yeah.
But otherwise there's Europeans

649
00:32:32,360 --> 00:32:35,400
that do take it.
I think Germany has 1.1 million

650
00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:38,680
advocates of it.
So it's like there's there,

651
00:32:38,800 --> 00:32:40,720
there's a bunch of people here
that you, they even got some

652
00:32:40,720 --> 00:32:42,040
Youtubes.
It's all in German though.

653
00:32:42,040 --> 00:32:43,720
You want to understand it?
Unless they've got some

654
00:32:43,720 --> 00:32:47,560
subtitles, but there's some
German YouTube channels that

655
00:32:47,560 --> 00:32:49,680
talk about it and what it's done
for them too.

656
00:32:49,680 --> 00:32:52,640
So yeah.
Wow, that's interesting.

657
00:32:52,640 --> 00:32:53,800
I did not know that.
OK.

658
00:32:53,960 --> 00:32:56,200
Do they sell it in shops?
Like is this something you just

659
00:32:56,200 --> 00:32:58,680
get like, you know, here smoke
shops, all smoke shops sell it

660
00:32:58,680 --> 00:32:59,800
all over the country.
But.

661
00:33:00,040 --> 00:33:01,880
I think, I think so they might
maybe.

662
00:33:02,040 --> 00:33:05,320
I lived, I lived near
Heidelberg, which is South,

663
00:33:05,560 --> 00:33:08,160
southwest, close to the Black
Forest.

664
00:33:08,440 --> 00:33:11,640
I think at Mannheim they might,
Mannheim is like 30 minutes

665
00:33:11,960 --> 00:33:14,040
north, close to closer to
Frankfurt.

666
00:33:15,280 --> 00:33:16,720
So I think so.
I'm pretty sure there's some

667
00:33:16,720 --> 00:33:19,800
shops, but it's like you're
driving the Timbuktu, you know,

668
00:33:19,800 --> 00:33:23,480
to go to go get it.
And it's like I, I don't even

669
00:33:23,480 --> 00:33:26,480
bother now.
When I was in Greece, I found it

670
00:33:26,720 --> 00:33:30,000
and I was in Athens, Greece
recently and I found a shop.

671
00:33:30,040 --> 00:33:35,920
I just looked it up and they had
the oil, you know, the the drops

672
00:33:36,040 --> 00:33:38,040
like so that was that was
interesting.

673
00:33:38,040 --> 00:33:40,640
But they worked good.
It was very good.

674
00:33:40,640 --> 00:33:43,080
It was white vein and it worked
very well.

675
00:33:43,080 --> 00:33:46,440
I'm like, it's not really good.
And they only had whole leaf

676
00:33:46,440 --> 00:33:49,360
powder like another white vein.
So I just bought both just to

677
00:33:49,360 --> 00:33:51,960
see and I bought them comma
because they had comma extract.

678
00:33:51,960 --> 00:33:54,080
So I bought all three of them
just to see what it was like

679
00:33:54,600 --> 00:33:55,960
quality.
It was quality.

680
00:33:55,960 --> 00:33:58,760
It was pretty good.
So in Greece, I think they,

681
00:33:59,200 --> 00:34:02,000
Greece doesn't care.
It's like whatever they can have

682
00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:03,240
that stuff, they can have
whatever.

683
00:34:03,240 --> 00:34:07,600
They don't get too many problems
in that way, you know, So, but

684
00:34:07,720 --> 00:34:10,760
that was my experience in Greece
and here, but that's all I can

685
00:34:10,760 --> 00:34:12,520
really, I can only speak on
those two.

686
00:34:12,520 --> 00:34:15,280
The Netherlands, no problem, you
know, but the Netherlands

687
00:34:15,280 --> 00:34:18,880
doesn't have Cobb.
It's like really like I love

688
00:34:18,880 --> 00:34:20,400
Cobb.
You know, when I lived in West

689
00:34:20,400 --> 00:34:23,159
Palm Beach, I drink Cobb all the
time too with the grass.

690
00:34:23,800 --> 00:34:25,920
And they have their special
little drinks called a, you

691
00:34:25,920 --> 00:34:29,000
know, a black Pearl or a, they
have a special name for it.

692
00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:30,920
But it's, it's a great
combination.

693
00:34:30,920 --> 00:34:34,560
And that really, really does it
for you as far as pain goes, it

694
00:34:34,560 --> 00:34:38,000
really helps everything.
So I mean this stuff to be

695
00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:40,800
available over here, but it is
what it is.

696
00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:44,440
But in the Netherlands, it's
marijuana or, you know, Cradam

697
00:34:44,440 --> 00:34:47,639
or whatever else.
But outside of that, I don't

698
00:34:47,639 --> 00:34:50,320
think they'll have Kava.
But but the Netherlands, it's

699
00:34:50,320 --> 00:34:52,239
cool.
They they're pretty loose with

700
00:34:52,239 --> 00:34:53,800
it.
And the company that I get from

701
00:34:53,800 --> 00:34:56,360
in the Netherlands, it is in the
Netherlands, I mean, and they

702
00:34:56,360 --> 00:35:01,120
have a firm in Germany that just
distributes it whenever anybody

703
00:35:01,120 --> 00:35:02,680
orders.
So they don't put up with

704
00:35:03,120 --> 00:35:05,840
customs because they have a firm
I think in Germany or something

705
00:35:05,840 --> 00:35:09,280
like that, you know, so it's
hopefully I'm not, you know,

706
00:35:09,520 --> 00:35:12,920
getting them in trouble or
something, but I think they know

707
00:35:12,920 --> 00:35:14,200
how to do it.
They can have any of their

708
00:35:14,200 --> 00:35:17,320
products here and then
distribute.

709
00:35:17,320 --> 00:35:21,520
But in Germany, it's, I think
it's, it might be a little bit

710
00:35:21,520 --> 00:35:25,800
of a weird situation for people
trying to get it in here and

711
00:35:25,800 --> 00:35:27,880
sell it from a shop.
I think that might, I don't

712
00:35:27,880 --> 00:35:31,000
know, but I could imagine
they're pretty picky over here.

713
00:35:31,120 --> 00:35:35,120
So yeah, is what it is.
Yeah, may not be worth like

714
00:35:35,120 --> 00:35:38,000
setting up shop and having to
deal with all the government

715
00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:40,600
issues that, you know, prop up.
Yeah.

716
00:35:40,600 --> 00:35:42,440
Well, you know, over here in
America, there's always a

717
00:35:42,440 --> 00:35:44,920
constant threat of kratom
getting taken away.

718
00:35:44,920 --> 00:35:48,160
And it's just, it's, it's such a
pain to deal with.

719
00:35:48,480 --> 00:35:53,280
It's always something because me
and my fellow kratom consumer

720
00:35:53,280 --> 00:35:56,200
slash advocates, we're always
staying on top of the latest

721
00:35:56,200 --> 00:36:00,000
legal issues here in the US.
And it's just this constant

722
00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:03,920
where all of a sudden there'll
be some legislator in some state

723
00:36:03,920 --> 00:36:07,080
that wants to just ban it.
And you know, it's, it's a

724
00:36:07,080 --> 00:36:09,920
process typically.
And you know, we'll watch some

725
00:36:09,920 --> 00:36:12,280
of these hearings online and
talk about it.

726
00:36:12,280 --> 00:36:15,240
I even have a little live stream
show called the kratom Gals

727
00:36:15,240 --> 00:36:18,320
where me and some of my friends,
we get together, we watch

728
00:36:18,320 --> 00:36:21,400
different videos we find on on
YouTube and TikTok.

729
00:36:21,400 --> 00:36:24,760
And then if there's hearings
about possibly banning kratom,

730
00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:27,960
we'll watch those and talk about
just to help educate everybody

731
00:36:27,960 --> 00:36:30,400
and just all of us be informed
of like all the different things

732
00:36:30,400 --> 00:36:32,560
that go on in the world of
kratom.

733
00:36:33,080 --> 00:36:35,280
But it's so frustrating.
It seems like there's always

734
00:36:35,280 --> 00:36:39,160
some community that wants to ban
it lately across, whereas

735
00:36:39,440 --> 00:36:42,880
whereas a city or a state,
there's always it's always under

736
00:36:42,880 --> 00:36:46,160
threat.
Yeah, I mean, everybody always

737
00:36:46,160 --> 00:36:47,600
wants to tell everybody what to
do.

738
00:36:48,160 --> 00:36:50,480
You know, it's like, I'm not
into that.

739
00:36:50,520 --> 00:36:53,480
Like I said, my libertarian ways
don't don't go anywhere in

740
00:36:53,480 --> 00:36:55,480
Germany.
So I just kind of have to flow

741
00:36:55,480 --> 00:36:58,000
with whatever happens here.
But, you know, that's, that's

742
00:36:58,000 --> 00:36:59,600
me.
I'm just like, just leave me

743
00:36:59,600 --> 00:37:01,160
alone.
And, you know, like I don't,

744
00:37:01,200 --> 00:37:04,920
I'll, I'll do, I'm an adult and
I'll do what I feel like I need

745
00:37:04,920 --> 00:37:06,480
to do.
And if something happens and

746
00:37:06,480 --> 00:37:09,160
I'll deal with it like a man,
you know, you're an adult,

747
00:37:09,160 --> 00:37:10,360
right?
That's what I want to ask you.

748
00:37:10,840 --> 00:37:12,360
That's what you are.
Yeah.

749
00:37:12,560 --> 00:37:15,520
But you know how they are the
real pro government, I say.

750
00:37:16,200 --> 00:37:18,200
And it comes from both sides of
the spectrum too.

751
00:37:18,200 --> 00:37:20,840
Believe me.
It's like everybody, it's not,

752
00:37:20,840 --> 00:37:23,400
nobody's saying nobody's special
on either side.

753
00:37:23,400 --> 00:37:25,160
Everybody always wants to
control something on the

754
00:37:25,160 --> 00:37:27,800
political right or left.
And it's like, it's like,

755
00:37:28,520 --> 00:37:30,120
fucking fuck off, leave me
alone.

756
00:37:30,480 --> 00:37:33,080
You know, there's always
somebody in there that maybe

757
00:37:33,080 --> 00:37:35,440
they, I don't know, maybe they
knew somebody.

758
00:37:35,600 --> 00:37:38,080
Oh, I knew somebody that got
really sick on it.

759
00:37:38,080 --> 00:37:40,480
And then people talk, no, don't
take that shit.

760
00:37:40,640 --> 00:37:42,080
It's sick.
And then it goes to the right

761
00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:44,480
ear and then it just gets
fucking stamped.

762
00:37:45,120 --> 00:37:48,160
And that happens often too,
where it just gets a bad name

763
00:37:48,200 --> 00:37:50,760
and it's very uneducated.
Like when they talk about it,

764
00:37:50,760 --> 00:37:53,080
it's such uneducated opinions on
it.

765
00:37:53,720 --> 00:37:57,360
And it's like, don't speak on
something unless you've got all

766
00:37:57,360 --> 00:38:00,720
the fucking backs, man.
Exactly.

767
00:38:00,720 --> 00:38:03,720
We, we see that all the time
with these Kranem band hearings

768
00:38:03,720 --> 00:38:05,760
where you get these people,
they're literally they're,

769
00:38:05,760 --> 00:38:09,200
they're the decision makers, the
legislators and they're Googling

770
00:38:09,200 --> 00:38:10,400
kratom.
They don't even know what it is.

771
00:38:10,400 --> 00:38:12,320
They don't know how to pronounce
it yet.

772
00:38:12,320 --> 00:38:14,840
They're making decisions on it.
So it's incredibly frustrating.

773
00:38:15,480 --> 00:38:17,040
How long have you been over in
Germany?

774
00:38:17,040 --> 00:38:19,160
Like how long since you've been
in the US that you've been

775
00:38:19,160 --> 00:38:22,960
overseas?
Oh, I've been here close to 18

776
00:38:22,960 --> 00:38:24,680
years.
Oh, OK.

777
00:38:25,360 --> 00:38:26,440
Yeah, I've been here a long
time.

778
00:38:26,440 --> 00:38:30,680
But I came and visited every.
So I was just over there in in

779
00:38:30,680 --> 00:38:33,360
January through February.
I was just over there and I was

780
00:38:33,840 --> 00:38:35,440
taking some of the crowd.
I'm over there.

781
00:38:35,440 --> 00:38:38,960
And it was it was pretty good.
I still like to stop here

782
00:38:39,000 --> 00:38:41,440
better.
I don't know, I just, I like it

783
00:38:41,440 --> 00:38:42,880
here.
Maybe the Netherlands has a

784
00:38:42,880 --> 00:38:47,120
special sauce, you know.
Maybe, maybe or maybe maybe

785
00:38:47,120 --> 00:38:49,400
since they're a little closer to
Asia, maybe there's just

786
00:38:49,400 --> 00:38:51,840
something better about when they
get it versus when it makes it

787
00:38:51,840 --> 00:38:56,120
all the way over to the US.
Who knows what since you travel

788
00:38:56,120 --> 00:39:00,160
though, like what are how how?
People ask this all the time,

789
00:39:00,160 --> 00:39:02,920
Like how to travel with kratom?
What are your thoughts on that?

790
00:39:03,080 --> 00:39:08,000
I've traveled with it, yes.
Well, I've only gone back and

791
00:39:08,000 --> 00:39:16,200
forth as far as plane rides go
to Greece and in America, so I

792
00:39:16,200 --> 00:39:19,920
never used any other airports
around anywhere else.

793
00:39:19,920 --> 00:39:26,880
But if I was to give any advice
to anybody as I look up the laws

794
00:39:27,000 --> 00:39:29,880
of the country number one, and
see what they have on crowd, if

795
00:39:29,880 --> 00:39:31,960
you're going to go to a country
where it's banned, then I

796
00:39:31,960 --> 00:39:33,240
suggest you don't bring it with
you.

797
00:39:34,360 --> 00:39:38,360
Otherwise, how I travel with it,
I don't use Baggies #1 I'll put

798
00:39:38,360 --> 00:39:41,320
it, I'll put it in a vitamin
bottle with zinc or something

799
00:39:41,320 --> 00:39:44,280
that says zinc on it and I'll
have my other vitamins with me.

800
00:39:44,280 --> 00:39:46,920
But I'll just stick it in one of
those and like dump it inside

801
00:39:46,920 --> 00:39:48,800
the bottle and just have it on
my carry on.

802
00:39:48,840 --> 00:39:50,720
Nobody gives a shit.
It goes through the bang and

803
00:39:50,720 --> 00:39:53,000
it's done.
I got a buddy of mine who

804
00:39:53,040 --> 00:39:55,800
literally took out Baggies of
cava and Pradam and they let it

805
00:39:55,840 --> 00:40:01,160
pass through with it and you're,
I'm like, dude, you really did

806
00:40:01,160 --> 00:40:02,520
that.
You just Baggies?

807
00:40:02,920 --> 00:40:07,000
Out of the pocket, he just
didn't care and then he didn't

808
00:40:07,000 --> 00:40:08,840
get bothered.
But I like to just be very

809
00:40:08,840 --> 00:40:10,720
discreet.
So that's how I do it.

810
00:40:10,720 --> 00:40:13,400
I take a vitamin bottle that's
like those dark ones, you know,

811
00:40:13,680 --> 00:40:16,320
and I just pour it in there and
it's just a part of all my

812
00:40:16,320 --> 00:40:19,760
toothbrush and my whatever else
I bring with me with my various

813
00:40:19,760 --> 00:40:22,320
whatnot and bring on the plane.
So that's how I do it.

814
00:40:22,320 --> 00:40:26,520
But just make sure wherever it
is you go that it's not illegal

815
00:40:26,520 --> 00:40:28,440
there because you're going to
run into some issues if they

816
00:40:28,440 --> 00:40:31,040
find it.
So that's my advice to those

817
00:40:31,040 --> 00:40:34,680
people.
And also I'm going to go back to

818
00:40:34,680 --> 00:40:37,960
the quarter teaspoon.
This is the best way to try the

819
00:40:37,960 --> 00:40:39,280
extract.
Take a little bit of your

820
00:40:39,280 --> 00:40:41,920
quarter teaspoon at a time, a
little bit of time.

821
00:40:42,120 --> 00:40:44,240
Give it time.
Take a little bit more until you

822
00:40:44,240 --> 00:40:46,400
reach your area.
Don't just sit there and gulp

823
00:40:46,400 --> 00:40:47,760
it.
That's my advice.

824
00:40:47,760 --> 00:40:52,280
Also with that, I want to get
that as far as traveling goes,

825
00:40:52,280 --> 00:40:56,400
be smart.
Yeah, yeah, but absolutely be

826
00:40:56,400 --> 00:40:58,560
smart for sure.
Definitely research the laws

827
00:40:58,560 --> 00:41:00,760
where even in the US, when
people are saying they're

828
00:41:00,760 --> 00:41:03,960
travelling within the US, you
know, if you have a layover

829
00:41:03,960 --> 00:41:07,840
somewhere, like know what the
laws are everywhere you're going

830
00:41:07,840 --> 00:41:10,320
to be, any part you're touched
down in because.

831
00:41:10,760 --> 00:41:14,200
But also, even when you're
driving and travelling, you

832
00:41:14,200 --> 00:41:16,720
know, we hear stories about
truck drivers that like drive

833
00:41:16,720 --> 00:41:20,600
all over the US and they're
weren't necessarily aware that

834
00:41:20,800 --> 00:41:23,800
there are a handful of states
where it is banned to the point

835
00:41:23,800 --> 00:41:26,600
that's considered Schedule 1
narcotic that you'd go to jail

836
00:41:26,840 --> 00:41:30,400
if you're caught with it.
So it's always knowing like

837
00:41:30,520 --> 00:41:35,280
wherever you're traveling by by
car, by by plane or anywhere,

838
00:41:35,280 --> 00:41:39,800
just like what are the laws in
every place you're going to be

839
00:41:40,040 --> 00:41:43,360
in traveling in just to know and
just, you know, be safe.

840
00:41:43,560 --> 00:41:47,560
But yeah, I like how how you
discreetly bring kratom.

841
00:41:47,560 --> 00:41:50,680
I've heard a lot of people say
do it the way you describe.

842
00:41:51,720 --> 00:41:54,480
There's also a quite a few
people that say, you know what,

843
00:41:54,720 --> 00:41:58,880
just bring it in the package.
It comes in unopened, like, you

844
00:41:58,880 --> 00:42:02,160
know, not to try to hide it.
I don't know, that kind of makes

845
00:42:02,160 --> 00:42:05,160
me nervous.
I, but the last time I traveled

846
00:42:05,160 --> 00:42:08,960
on plane, I did just have some
small packages of kratom powder

847
00:42:08,960 --> 00:42:12,000
in the original packaging.
I had no issues.

848
00:42:12,000 --> 00:42:14,480
Everywhere I was going was safe
to, to travel to.

849
00:42:15,120 --> 00:42:17,680
But it's like, whatever it is
that makes you most comfortable,

850
00:42:17,680 --> 00:42:19,840
right?
And I mean, I've, I've been

851
00:42:19,840 --> 00:42:22,680
like, I think I want to
discreetly put it in a vitamin

852
00:42:22,680 --> 00:42:24,800
bottle and I was going to do
that.

853
00:42:24,800 --> 00:42:26,480
But then at the last minute I
changed my mind.

854
00:42:26,480 --> 00:42:28,760
But it's just, I think it pulls
down to what are you comfortable

855
00:42:28,760 --> 00:42:30,920
doing?
But it's great you're discussing

856
00:42:30,920 --> 00:42:33,680
this with us on the podcast
because people like to hear from

857
00:42:33,680 --> 00:42:35,720
other people, like what was
their experience?

858
00:42:35,720 --> 00:42:38,720
How did they do it?
And since we were talking about,

859
00:42:38,880 --> 00:42:40,880
you know, with your travels and
stuff, I thought, you know, it'd

860
00:42:40,880 --> 00:42:43,960
be helpful if people knew like,
how did you travel with your

861
00:42:43,960 --> 00:42:45,480
Kratom?
And I guarantee you somebody's

862
00:42:45,480 --> 00:42:47,640
listening going, that's a great
idea.

863
00:42:47,640 --> 00:42:51,400
And next time I travel with my
Kratom, you know, I'm, I'm, I'm

864
00:42:51,400 --> 00:42:53,400
going to do like what John says.
That's a great idea.

865
00:42:54,080 --> 00:42:56,160
I mean, it's it's always worked
for me.

866
00:42:56,360 --> 00:42:58,160
It's always, I mean, don't get
me wrong, I've done it with a

867
00:42:58,240 --> 00:43:01,640
baggie before, but you know,
it's like, but with their X-ray

868
00:43:01,640 --> 00:43:04,480
machines, they see this thing,
it looks like a baggie and like,

869
00:43:04,560 --> 00:43:07,680
Oh, well, what is this could and
they just decide to fuck with

870
00:43:07,680 --> 00:43:09,560
you.
You know, it's like, I just, I

871
00:43:09,560 --> 00:43:12,320
just avoid all that shit.
And if ever it did came up in

872
00:43:12,320 --> 00:43:15,040
the bottle, like what is this?
I will just tell them what it is

873
00:43:15,040 --> 00:43:18,600
as long as I'm not going to a
country where it's illegal, you

874
00:43:18,600 --> 00:43:21,080
know, otherwise you shouldn't be
bringing it in the first place.

875
00:43:21,520 --> 00:43:25,400
But yeah, I would just be be
honest with them.

876
00:43:25,400 --> 00:43:28,080
And that's that's what that is.
I that's it.

877
00:43:28,080 --> 00:43:31,120
What are they going to do?
That might keep you in a room

878
00:43:31,120 --> 00:43:33,720
for a couple minutes and then
figure it out and then let me

879
00:43:33,720 --> 00:43:37,120
go.
It's, yeah, it's, I mean, I

880
00:43:37,120 --> 00:43:39,440
think it can be kind of a hassle
maybe to travel with.

881
00:43:39,960 --> 00:43:41,640
No, like it just depends on
where you go.

882
00:43:41,640 --> 00:43:45,000
Some places they just make their
own dandy rules and who knows,

883
00:43:45,160 --> 00:43:47,200
you know, who knows?
But I traveled.

884
00:43:47,200 --> 00:43:50,160
I don't go to third world
countries or anything like that.

885
00:43:50,160 --> 00:43:53,120
So I'm usually just going back
and forth from Europe to the

886
00:43:53,120 --> 00:43:55,960
States whenever I go.
That's my experience.

887
00:43:56,200 --> 00:44:00,240
I use a vitamin bottle.
Yeah, yeah, I think I think

888
00:44:00,240 --> 00:44:01,840
that's some pretty darn good
advice.

889
00:44:02,040 --> 00:44:04,800
Well, this has been such a great
conversation, John, Really great

890
00:44:04,800 --> 00:44:07,240
getting to know you better,
hearing your personal journey

891
00:44:07,240 --> 00:44:09,640
with kratom.
Now the last question for you,

892
00:44:10,000 --> 00:44:12,560
knowing, of course, knowing
everything you know now about

893
00:44:12,560 --> 00:44:16,040
kratom and you know, I mean,
you've been at this a long time.

894
00:44:16,040 --> 00:44:18,960
I don't know if I've met anybody
that started consuming Kratom

895
00:44:18,960 --> 00:44:21,000
that far back.
I mean, gosh, you're just about

896
00:44:21,320 --> 00:44:23,840
at 20 years now.
But knowing everything you know

897
00:44:23,840 --> 00:44:27,960
now, what advice would you give
someone just now starting to

898
00:44:27,960 --> 00:44:29,280
kind of help them in the kratom
journey?

899
00:44:29,280 --> 00:44:31,560
I know you've already mentioned
a few times about, you know,

900
00:44:31,600 --> 00:44:34,360
going really slow and using the
quarter teaspoon and stuff.

901
00:44:34,360 --> 00:44:37,040
But what would be like the
different types of advice you

902
00:44:37,040 --> 00:44:39,400
give to somebody that just wants
to give this a go and get

903
00:44:39,400 --> 00:44:41,680
started, but just are trying to
educate themselves?

904
00:44:43,760 --> 00:44:46,880
Well, I mean, of course,
definitely, you know, get online

905
00:44:46,880 --> 00:44:50,680
and and Google it and get or
just get somewhere to find the

906
00:44:50,680 --> 00:44:53,600
right information.
Number one, just research it,

907
00:44:53,600 --> 00:44:55,360
read it.
See the people over here, they

908
00:44:55,360 --> 00:44:57,160
do a lot of that.
They're like, I want to find out

909
00:44:57,200 --> 00:45:00,760
that they're like very OK, I
want, I want to see what's going

910
00:45:00,760 --> 00:45:02,800
on.
Some people are just see.

911
00:45:04,880 --> 00:45:08,120
So I would suggest you know,
that that they look it up and

912
00:45:08,480 --> 00:45:13,040
educate themselves on it and get
on sites like I mean, people

913
00:45:13,160 --> 00:45:15,880
always smash Reddit and all
those well, like Reddit's got a

914
00:45:15,880 --> 00:45:18,760
lot of good information.
I would say get on Reddit or a

915
00:45:18,760 --> 00:45:21,120
lot of these other websites or
just get with somebody that has

916
00:45:21,120 --> 00:45:25,000
taken before us that's
experienced with it and let them

917
00:45:25,000 --> 00:45:28,680
give you some advice.
Also, if your local cobble bar

918
00:45:28,680 --> 00:45:31,520
has it, you know, maybe maybe
somebody there can give you

919
00:45:31,520 --> 00:45:34,320
advice, but they like to stay
very discreet those cobble bars.

920
00:45:34,320 --> 00:45:39,000
So I probably wouldn't be a good
idea either, you know, just

921
00:45:39,000 --> 00:45:41,800
research it and and get on like
Reddit.

922
00:45:41,840 --> 00:45:43,840
You could be pretty free about
how you talk about things.

923
00:45:43,840 --> 00:45:46,160
I learned so much on that from
other people.

924
00:45:46,800 --> 00:45:49,920
And, and you could just put the
question down or even in Quora,

925
00:45:50,360 --> 00:45:53,000
you know, and just say, you
know, for extract, how should I,

926
00:45:53,240 --> 00:45:55,280
there's always going to be
somebody with a smart answer.

927
00:45:55,280 --> 00:45:57,440
There's always going to be
somebody with a stupid answer,

928
00:45:57,440 --> 00:45:59,640
but there's always going to be
somebody with a smart answer

929
00:45:59,640 --> 00:46:01,720
that will give you the proper
advice on how to take an

930
00:46:01,720 --> 00:46:06,600
extract, whether it be a 10XA20X
or whatever, or whatever it is

931
00:46:06,600 --> 00:46:08,840
that they, they created.
Like, especially with extracts,

932
00:46:09,360 --> 00:46:12,960
you know, make sure you, I mean,
my, my thing is 1/4 teaspoon,

933
00:46:13,360 --> 00:46:15,200
right?
But you can go with an eighth of

934
00:46:15,200 --> 00:46:17,480
a teaspoon and be just fine with
extracts.

935
00:46:17,480 --> 00:46:20,760
I think for anybody that's start
off with an 8, see what it's

936
00:46:20,760 --> 00:46:23,760
like and then, you know, and
then if there's something, then

937
00:46:23,760 --> 00:46:26,840
just keep, if it doesn't, you're
not quite getting it and feeling

938
00:46:26,840 --> 00:46:29,560
it and just take a little bit
more until just a little bit

939
00:46:29,560 --> 00:46:33,280
tiny bit micro micro.
And that's that's how you learn

940
00:46:33,440 --> 00:46:37,560
or like I said, research Reddit
Cora something that's going to

941
00:46:37,560 --> 00:46:39,240
give you some good advice on how
to take it.

942
00:46:39,840 --> 00:46:42,840
That's my advice.
Excellent advice.

943
00:46:42,840 --> 00:46:45,000
Well, thank you so much, John
for being on the podcast and

944
00:46:45,000 --> 00:46:47,800
sharing your journey with us.
It's always interesting hearing

945
00:46:47,800 --> 00:46:49,800
people's stories.
I really appreciate your time.

946
00:46:50,200 --> 00:46:51,320
I thank you.
I appreciate it.

947
00:46:51,320 --> 00:46:51,880
I had fun.