Use + Harm Reduction

Legal Syringe Programs Could Finally Be Arriving in Iowa

In Iowa City, Ben, a 26-year-old who has been using heroin for years, met the Iowa Harm Reduction Coalition while…

March 27, 2019

Beyond Purdue: Our Deadly Unlearned Lessons From the Overdose Crisis

There is a profound moment in the film And The Band Played On, about the early days of the US…

March 27, 2019

San Francisco Vapes Ban the Logical Next Step of a Harmful Campaign

The March 19 announcement by San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera of steps to ban the sale of all e-cigarettes…

March 25, 2019

Inside Vancouver’s Drug User Union

The Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) is a member-driven organization that organizes to improve the lives of people…

March 19, 2019

US Smokers Mistakenly Equate Harms of Snus With Those of Cigarettes

Most American smokers continue to believe that snus, a moist tobacco product placed under the lip that originates from Sweden,…

March 7, 2019

Study: A Seattle Safer Consumption Site Would Save Money, as Well as Lives

Just one safer consumption space (SCS) for people who use drugs in Kings County, Washington would generate annual savings worth…

March 5, 2019

“Junkie” Caricatures Make Us All More Vulnerable to Addiction

I shot heroin for the first time because I wanted to write poetry about it. I'm cringing just writing that…

March 5, 2019

“Never Give Up”—State Commission Urges Mass. to Move for Supervised Consumption Sites

The Massachusetts Commission on Harm Reduction issued a report on March 1 recommending the development of supervised consumption spaces (SCS)…

March 4, 2019

Portugal’s Decriminalization of Drug Use, Explained

In 2001, Portugal was experiencing an opioid-involved overdose crisis, similar to the one gripping the United States. The country used…

February 28, 2019

The Tricky Connection Between MAT and Low Sex Drive

Imagine going through opioid use disorder treatment with methadone or buprenorphine, perhaps getting a job and family and everything in your life back—except for one…

February 26, 2019