Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • Fentanyl Test Strips Are an Easy Way to Save Lives

    Several states are changing their drug paraphernalia laws, making it legal to possess fentanyl test strips which allow those who use drugs to test them for fentanyl. Fentanyl test strips are a means of harm reduction that allows the person to make informed decisions about their drug use in an effort to reduce fatal drug overdoses.

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  • An Overdose Antidote Goes Viral

    Studies show that people who received at least one dose of naloxone following an opioid overdose are 11 times more likely to survive. In response, state policies and community-level programs and organizations are working to make naloxone accessible to those who need it. Today, naloxone can be found in grocery stores, gas stations, provided at events like concerts and community spaces like libraries.

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  • What will it take for Arizona's gay bars to stop overdoses?

    In an effort to combat overdoses in the LGBTQ+ community, some local spaces — like gay bars — are carrying Narcan. While not every gay bar in the area is on board with carrying Narcan, there are several individuals and local organizations working to push these venues to make a change and helping to ensure people who need it can access the potentially life-saving drug if they need it.

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  • Harm Reduction: Is it saving lives, or helping enable addicts?

    The Virginia Harm Reduction Coalition (VHRC) uses harm reduction strategies to help those suffering from addiction by providing free supplies like overdose reversal spray, safe smoking kits and clean syringes, as well as connection to education and treatment options when people are ready. Those who access services through a harm reduction program are five times more likely to enter treatment programs. Last year alone, the VHRC distributed more than 20,000 doses of Narcan which they know reversed at least 2,000 overdoses.

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  • ‘Building an Industry': Medical Cannabis Investors Focus On Lab Testing For Patient Safety

    When the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act passed in 2022 and launched a new medical-marijuana program there was an unmet need for cannabis testing. To fill the gap, testing labs like Steep Hill Mississippi are emerging to ensure the medical marijuana available is safe to use.

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  • New York's supervised injection sites have halted nearly 700 overdoses in just over a year

    OnPoint NYC is a supervised consumption site that allows people in addiction to use drugs while under medical supervision. Since November 2021, the two sites in New York have served more than 2,100 experienced drug users more than 50,000 times, with 672 overdoses treated and no deaths.

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  • Supervised drug injection sites could soon pop up in California. How will they work?

    A Senate bill in California could authorize supervised drug injection sites that provide drug users with a safe place to use drugs while supervised by trained staff to prevent overdoses.

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  • ‘Safety First' Drug Education Program Acknowledges the Failings of ‘Just Say No'

    Studies show that abstinence-based prevention drug programs like D.A.R.E don't work. To provide another option, the Drug Policy Alliance, a non-profit, developed its own curriculum called “Safety First.” The 15-lesson curriculum was piloted in five schools under the San Francisco Unified School District.

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  • The "Secret Handshake"—A Program Gifting Cannabis to Unhoused People

    In Los Angeles, the Sidewalk Project gives unhoused people gifts of marijuana to ease their anxiety and to show kindness. Since its start in the spring of 2020, the group has gifted gram-sized portions of weed nearly 1,000 times. The harm-reduction group gets its supply from growers who donate weed that isn't up to commercial-grade snuff. Evidence is mixed on whether marijuana is an effective antidote to opioid withdrawal symptoms, but Sidewalk says it has helped some by making them more relaxed. Personal use of marijuana is legal in California, with restrictions on quantities that can be transferred.

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  • Summit Safe Syringe Exchange ‘plants just a little bit of hope' through harm reduction

    The Summit Safe Syringe Exchange provides free and clean needles and supplies to people who use drugs, while also providing access to testing and counseling and connecting people to housing and health care resources. Project DAWN saturated the community with naloxone, a drug that reverses opioid overdoses, and trains community members to recognize and treat overdoses quickly. Both programs have helped the Summit County Public Health integrate harm reduction strategies into the ways that officials address drug use and addiction.

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