""Harm reduction is about restoring and supporting people's dignity no matter where they're at and making them feel like their livelihood and their worth matters, even if they're using drugs," said Mehtani, a clinician whose research area focuses on the use of psychedelics in addiction treatment. "It is a public health approach that increases engagement and care so that when people are able and ready, they have the opportunity to engage in recovery and in healing.""
"The harm reduction movement emerged in the '80s out of the HIV-AIDS crisis, which devastated communities and became a leading cause of death among young adults. Catalyzed by government inaction, community organizers risked arrest and prison time to mobilize and operate syringe exchanges, which successfully lowered the rate of HIV-AIDS transmission."
"Ciccarone said that there is a desire from the public for a "silver bullet," one solution that will end the crisis."
The Lurie administration is limiting distribution of harm reduction supplies and appears to be deprioritizing harm reduction as a core strategy for addressing drug addiction. Public health experts and researchers convened to explain harm reduction as a dignity-centered approach that increases engagement and care, enabling people to pursue recovery when ready. The harm reduction movement began during the 1980s HIV-AIDS crisis, when community organizers ran syringe exchanges to reduce transmission amid government inaction. The rising visibility of smoked drugs like meth and fentanyl has fueled public calls for a single solution and contributed to greater demonization of harm reduction.
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