Helen Redmond

Helen is Filters senior editor and a multimedia journalist. Her debut book is Liquid Handcuffs: Policing and Punishment in Methadone Clinics and the Future of Opioid Addiction Treatment. She is also a filmmaker; her two documentaries about methadone, Liquid Handcuffs and Swallow THIS, have screened nationally and internationally. Helen is an adjunct assistant professor at New York University.

The Glas Ceiling: Gold, Sapphire and Vaping Surveillance

Long vilified by opponents of tobacco harm reduction, fruit-flavored vapes finally got the thumbs up from the FDA in May.…

July 22, 2026

“It’s Authoritarian”—Harm Reduction Under San Francisco’s Backlash

Harm reduction is under attack in San Francisco. Mayor Daniel Lurie (D), the Board of Supervisors and even the San…

June 16, 2026

“Consider Tapering”—SAMHSA Turns Against Long-Term Methadone Use

Beware a “Dear Colleague” letter from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) that offers “updated guidance” on…

May 20, 2026

Psilocybin Shows Growing Potential for Smoking Cessation

Quitting smoking is hard, and anything that might help should be thoroughly explored, particularly when we know different options work…

May 12, 2026

People Who Vape Are Lab Rats, Says California “Public Health” Campaign

Clockwork Orange-like images show a sweating, terrified young man in a dark laboratory with a black metal contraption on his…

April 30, 2026

Federal Bill Would Roll Back Modest Progress on Methadone Access

When it comes to methadone treatment for opioid use disorder, Representative Erin Houchin, a Trump-supporting Republican from Indiana, wants to…

April 13, 2026

Oklahoma Prisoners Can Now Buy “Jail Puff” Vapes and Pouches

Oklahoma has just begun allowing prisoners to purchase safer nicotine products—vapes and pouches—at commissary. Some jails already permitted this, as…

March 30, 2026

Methadone Clinics to Blame for Unacceptable Drop-Out Rates

Given what the methadone clinic system subjects them to, is it really a surprise that people who take the medication…

March 19, 2026

Commission to Look at Methadone Regs, But Don’t Hold Your Breath

A new National Methadone Access and Quality Commission has been created by the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE). It…

March 9, 2026

“Would You Want to Live Next to a Clinic?”—Methadone NIMBYism

The speeches at the press conference in Harlem were a distillation of stigmatizing ideas about methadone, clinics and patients that…

March 2, 2026