Sessi Kuwabara Blanchard

Sessi is an independent drug journalist and drug-user activist. She lives in New York City.

David Stuart: An Inspirational Leader in Chemsex Harm Reduction

The harm reduction and LGBTQ health movements have unexpectedly lost a leader, David Stuart. On January 12, the news was…

January 19, 2022

Sex Workers No Longer Criminalized for Simply Living With HIV in Nevada

In Nevada, sex workers living with HIV have been uniquely targeted by the state, facing harsher punishments than their seronegative…

July 15, 2021

Federal Watchdog: FOSTA Isn’t Even Useful for Law Enforcement

From the get-go, sex worker activists knew nothing good would come from FOSTA, a 2018 law that formally makes online…

June 25, 2021

Congresswoman Cori Bush Voices Groundbreaking Support for Safe Supply

Congresswoman Cori Bush, representing St. Louis, Missouri in the House of Representatives, has broken new ground by indicating her support…

June 16, 2021

Ex-FDA Head Falsely Claims Kratom Is “Fueling” the Overdose Crisis

Drug warriors have long deployed disinformation to justify panics and crackdowns. Kratom, an unregulated plant-based product used by many to…

June 2, 2021

Orthopedic Surgeons Fail in Legal Bid to Justify OUD Discrimination

A group of doctors defended themselves in a disability discrimination lawsuit brought by the US Attorney’s Office for the District…

May 24, 2021

How Fear, Misinformation, Stigma Have Devastated US Pain Patients

Tamera Lynn Stewart had been taking prescribed opioids for 12 years to treat her chronic pain, following some cancer-related surgeries.…

April 28, 2021

Federal Funding Can Now Be Used to Purchase Fentanyl Test Strips

The United States federal government has taken a step to make good on its late 2020 endorsement of fentanyl testing…

April 9, 2021

UK Confirms Harsher Punishment for GHB Users, After Moral Panic

The United Kingdom is moving forward with its plan to impose harsher punishments on people who use GHB—a chemical naturally…

March 31, 2021

Illinois Methadone Patients Could Be First to Have Privacy Rolled Back After SAMHSA Rule-Change

An Illinois Senator appears to be the first state lawmaker to push for a bill that would make a controversial…

March 29, 2021