National Harm Reduction Coalition creates spaces for dialogue and action that help heal the harms caused by racialized drug policies. |
+ BLACK HISTORY AND FUTURES MATTER: As we celebrated the start of Black History Month, we honored Black harm reductionists who led the movement to where it is today while also uplifting the futures Black harm reductionists are already making possible. Our friends at the National Black Harm Reduction Network (NBHRN) point out that harm reduction is about more than just surviving — it's about thriving. Learn more about the organization's work via its website, and by reading our blog post highlighting the NBHRN's vision.
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+ NHRC BEGINS WORK ON TOBACCO HARM REDUCTION: With Global Action to End Smoking’s grant support, NHRC will develop and implement the Tobacco Harm Reduction Education and Engagement (THREE) program within its network of traditional harm reduction organizations and providers. These programs will be tailored to meet the needs of people who use drugs and provide information about a variety of tobacco harm reduction (THR) approaches including the potential value of the use of reduced-risk tobacco products as a strategy.
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+ WE LOVE OUR EVERYDAY VALENTINES: People who use drugs and other harm reductionists will always be our valentines. Together, our radical love has saved lives, improved community health, supported the empowerment of entire communities, and united people across the world. We're grateful for this movement and everyone we're fortunate enough to work in solidarity with. Harm reduction is love.
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+ BUILDING COMMUNITY ACROSS MOVEMENTS: At NHRC, love is our nature and interconnection is our strength. Harm reduction and other social justice movements are deeply intertwined, and we are stronger together. Together, we can continue building community — including online! With more folks changing how they use social media and some leaving these platforms altogether, we hope you’ll consider forwarding our e-newsletter to friends to help us continue expanding the harm reduction movement. Encourage your loved ones to join the movement today!
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+ CONFERENCES AND EVENTS: -
The National Health Care for the Homeless Council Conference & Policy Symposium runs May 12 through May 15, 2025, in Baltimore, Maryland. Click here to learn more and sign up.
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The International Network on Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users (INHSU) is hosting its 13th annual international conference October 14 through October 17, 2025, in Cape Town, South Africa. Abstracts and scholarships for the conference close on March 2, 2025. Learn more and sign up here.
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NHRC is hosting our monthly national Peer Gathering Cohort, PeerUp, after hearing the need for peers nationally to have a space to connect, talk, and network. The sessions — which take place the first Monday of each month — are open to peers with lived/living experience only at no cost, and folks from around the U.S. are welcome to join. Together, we'll work to build a support system through the states. Come as you are, this will be a non-judgmental space! To join, contact Capacity Building + Hepatitis C Coordinator, Jose Martinez, at [email protected].
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+ NEWS: DHS taking steps to establish Safe Recovery Sites in Minnesota — To save lives from the overdose epidemic, we must expand and create evidence-backed harm reduction programs and services, including overdose prevention centers. Decades of data and folks' lived experiences show these approaches not only work, but support the empowerment of individuals who use drugs and entire communities. We're excited to see movement happening in Minnesota around these life-saving centers, as reported by KSTP-TV.
"The fact of the matter is people are going to continue using whether we’re there or not...We have a choice to make whether we’re going to help people use in an unsafe way or we’re going to help them use in a safe way. This is really a public health thing," as noted in the coverage.
+ NEWS: South Dakota Considers Defelonizing Drug Ingestion— South Dakota may be taking small steps away from the so-called "War on Drugs," more accurately described as a war on people. As reported by Filter magazine, the state may be making changes to its current laws, which classify "unauthorized ingestion of a controlled substance" as a felony.
"A proposal to reduce this charge to a misdemeanor represents a small but symbolically important step...Drug courts are another system with many ethical problems, in which prosecutors and a judge can force a defendant into a treatment program as an alternative to jail. If the person doesn’t complete the program, or doesn’t remain abstinent, they may face criminal consequences once again. The treatment mandated by these courts is often not evidence-based, and coerced treatment in itself is unethical and often harmful," the story notes.
+ NEWS: Health experts alarmed at new overdose drug marketed to WMass police departments — "Stronger" overdose reversal medications — anything more than 4 milligrams of naloxone — are unnecessary and can cause excruciating pain from withdrawals for people who use drugs, noted in this coverage by The Shoestring. We should be focusing on ensuring life-saving naloxone is accessible to people who need it most, expanding harm reduction services and programs which include voluntary treatment, and being mindful of companies looking to make a profit off the overdose epidemic. We're reminding folks that lower-dose naloxone has been the gold standard for reversing overdoses, along with rescue breathing. While it can be extremely scary to wait for a person to "come back" from an overdose after administering naloxone, it's imperative to wait 2-3 minutes before administering another dose if the person is still not breathing. To learn more about how to respond to an overdose, see our video here.
+ NEWS: In Rural Areas, People Who Use Drugs Face Particularly Severe Housing Crisis — Housing and health care are human rights. Despite this, people who are unhoused and use drugs are often at the highest risk of fatal overdose, having life-saving medications taken from them in encampment sweeps, and being forced into the inherently harmful carceral system.
"There is criminalization of both houselessness and substance use in the US...When you then get involved into the criminal justice system, that then further puts you into cycles of poverty," this Filter magazine story points out. The story continues, "In other words, the strong association between certain types of drug use and homelessness is likely driven by societal factors that cause both outcomes."
+ NEWS: Texas' War On Drug Users — Harm reduction is an evidence-backed set of approaches that has been proven to save lives, support the health and well-being of people who use drugs, and uplift communities. Unlike harm reduction, the so-called "War on Drugs" focuses on criminalizing people who need and deserve public health care and services, stripping them of their rights to bodily autonomy, effective health care including voluntary treatment, and other supports.
As outlined in this Texas Observer magazine piece, "Critics say efforts like Paxton’s just push drug use out of sight, creating greater risk. 'It sends the message to people who use drugs that they should hide it, they should be kept in the dark and in the closet,' said Aaron Ferguson of the Texas Drug User Health Union. 'The closet is a very dangerous place for people who use drugs. It’s where overdoses happen. It’s where stadiums full of people die every year.'"
+ NEWS: Maryland Lawmakers Renew Push for Overdose Prevention Centers — Life-saving overdose prevention centers (OPCs) serve as a safety net, improve community health, and provide people with the health services, support, and care they need and deserve. The more OPCs there are, the more lives will be saved.
Filter magazine's coverage of renewed advocacy of OPCs in Maryland names that these centers, "are associated with reduced overdoses, decreased public drug use, reduced syringe litter, increased access to addiction treatment, increased engagement in health services, and reduced strain on emergency medical services...As Maryland sees an influx of opioid restitution funds, we have an unprecedented opportunity to address substance use disorder and the overdose crisis."
+ NEWS: Report finds D.C.’s older Black men are most vulnerable to opioid overdoses — While overdoses impact every community, the disproportionate rates of overdose deaths among Black and brown communities are led by racism, which creates gaps in public health services and fuels the so-called "War On Drugs." We must collectively work to change this reality and invest in harm reduction and other life-saving programs. Full coverage by WAMU 88.5 — American University Radio can be heard here.
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+ SPEAKING OUT FOR TRANS HEALTH CARE AND BODILY AUTONOMY: NHRC’s LGBTQIA+ Health & Harm Reduction Manager, Taylor Edelmann, who leads the Lighthouse Learning Collective, testified at the Connecticut State Capitol in support of legislation that would enshrine nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQIA+ folks and individuals seeking care related to pregnancy and reproductive health.
He shared, "The same people trying to restrict trans healthcare are attacking reproductive freedom. This isn’t about protection — it’s about control…This is a manufactured outrage. Trans people have always existed. Trans people have always competed in sports. But now, we’re being used as scapegoats in a culture war designed to distract from real issues — like healthcare, housing, and racial and economic injustice."
Gender-affirming care, reproductive justice, and harm reduction are interconnected movements that are grounded in the principle of bodily autonomy for all. Trans individuals are often used as scapegoats to reinforce rigid, so-called "social norms" and maintain control over communities that have historically been marginalized. Harm reduction encompasses access to gender-affirming care for everyone, both youth and adults. Without this access, trans individuals face heightened risks of negative health impacts. Everyone deserves to have their human rights to bodily autonomy and health care respected. See the coverage here.
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- NHRC requests organizations add or update their information on the
Naloxone Finder map in an effort to ensure the resource is up-to-date. To add a new program, click here. To update existing program information on the map, please fill out this form. We appreciate your support in spreading the word about these life-saving materials.
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+ FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES: -
The North Star Fund is offering NYC and Hudson Valley organizing grants, with a deadline of March 31, 2025, at 9 p.m. ET.
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+ TRAININGS AND WEBINARS:
NHRC's Lighthouse Learning Collective's series is back! The series features dynamic, thought-provoking sessions designed to inspire and equip attendees with actionable knowledge to deepen their engagement with harm reduction to better support queer and trans people who use drugs and engage in sex work. The remaining planned webinars will be held on Fridays through May 2025, and select sessions may be recorded.
Mark your calendar for the next session of the series, "Chemsex 201," on Friday, March 14, 2025, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. ET. During this session, attendees will learn more about substances, brain chemistry, and the biopsychosocial elements of sexualized drug use. This free virtual training will provide attendees with harm reduction techniques applied to interactive cases and group discussion. This session will offer ASL and Spanish interpretation. Register for the training here, and see more about Lighthouse and its upcoming sessions here.
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NHRC is hosting a webinar series specifically designed for California SSPs. The series will cover a range of topics, including compassionate overdose response, California Department of Public Health (CDPH) billing, harm reduction foundations, and CDPH harm reduction supplies distribution. The remaining trainings, all held at 12 p.m. PT this year, are "Compassionate Overdose Response" on April 8, "Harm Reduction Supplies Distribution Overview" on July 8, and "Can I Bill for That?!" on October 14. For more information, email [email protected].
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NHRC is thrilled to continue offering monthly Foundational Fridays training sessions, which focus on building basic knowledge about various intersectional public health issues. The free sessions, running from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. ET the last Friday of each month, are for providers, peers, and anyone in the harm reduction community as well as anyone looking to learn more about the field. To sign up for tomorrow’s session, "Dismantling Drug-Related Stigma," click here. To sign up for the March 28 session, "Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) 101," click here. Stay tuned for updates about our latest Foundational Fridays series! For more information, contact Jose Martinez at [email protected].
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Harm Reduction International (HRI) is hosting its webinar, "Drug Consumption Rooms: Service Models and Evidence" on March 4, 2025, 8 a.m. ET. Register here.
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Hiring? Send us a note about open positions in harm reduction to [email protected] to have a job post shared here.
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