overdose

Heroin Pipes: How the “Hammer” Was Built for Harm Reduction

A common misconception about people who use heroin is that they all want to get as high as possible, that…

November 25, 2019

The Overdose Crisis’s Move Out West Is Nothing New

In July 2019, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released preliminary data suggesting that national overdose deaths slightly…

November 7, 2019

On a Mission to Show Up for Drug Users in West Virginia

In the driveway next to an old brick church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the type of building that punctuates neighborhoods…

October 22, 2019

Pressure Mounts on NY Gov. Cuomo to Authorize Safe Consumption Sites

New York safe consumption site (SCS) advocates have been fueled by last week's landmark decision in Philadelphia, when Judge Gerald…

October 10, 2019

Florida Prison Neglect Contributes to Synthetic Cannabinoid Deaths

The violent and inhumane conditions pervading Florida state prisons are graphically detailed in a covertly-recorded documentary by an incarcerated man,…

October 7, 2019

Why Peers Who Use Drugs Are Overdose Prevention “Heroes”

Harm reduction is increasingly being assimilated into the medical establishment. Yet some people who use drugs continue to report that…

October 1, 2019

The White Van Prescribing Buprenorphine Outside a Baltimore Jail

In 2017 the Behavioral Health Leadership Institute (BHLI), a Baltimore nonprofit, rented a truck. The large white GMC van sits…

September 25, 2019

New Drugs, Bad Policies Leave Philly Harm Reduction Groping in the Dark

The “Walmart of Heroin” is how the New York Times described Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood—in a much-criticized October 2018 story that…

September 19, 2019

Canadian Pharmacist Could Face Punishment for Giving Out Naloxone

In Ontario, a Canadian province with large rural regions, one pharmacist is no longer waiting for patients to come to…

September 17, 2019

An Opioid Vaccine’s Promise—And Ethical Peril

A multi-million dollar race to develop a vaccine that prevents the pleasurable and harmful effects of opioids has been quietly…

September 17, 2019