books

A Daughter’s Life and Death, Seen Through a Harm Reduction Lens

The book Addicted and Convicted: Letters from a Lost Daughter, published in August, tells the story of how Elizabeth Elliot…

September 6, 2023

Belladonna and Bad Actors: The Telling History of Addiction Treatment

The roots of today’s stigmatization of people who use drugs—and of paternalistic, exploitative, often cruel approaches to what we now…

April 25, 2023

Pliny the Elder’s Ancient But Refreshing Take on Opium

Pliny the Elder, a Roman statesman and writer, lived during the 1st Century CE. He died, famously, during the eruption…

March 31, 2023

Inebriate Asylums to Narcotic Farms: Addiction Treatment’s Cruel Roots

Kenneth Anderson founded HAMS (Harm Reduction, Abstinence and Moderation Support) in 2007 as a free online support group for people…

July 7, 2022

Why I Think We Need to Move Beyond “Harm Reduction”

I walked around the park grounds checking out the jubilant crowd of young partygoers. A gospel-sounding, organ-dominated groove played in…

February 10, 2021