Coalition for Syringe Access

🧵 (1/22) Howdy folks. As some of you may have already seen, an article was recently published in @TheEconomist claiming to have evidence that “America’s Syringe Exchanges Kill Drug Users”. Well, I think it’s time we looked into this a bit more. economist.com/united-states/…

Pittsburgh harm reduction experts: stronger overdose reversal drugs aren't better “You just want to make sure they're breathing because that's what the drug took away...You're not looking for them to be alert and have a conversation with you” wesa.fm/health-science…

Thanks @noahweiland for including me in this @nytimes @NYTHealth piece on the race inequities underlying the national decline in #overdose deaths: this should not be surprising to anyone who cares about #health #disparities #drugtwt Fatal Drug Overdoses Are Dropping. Not Everyone Is Spared. nytimes.com/2024/10/25/us/…

Ready to flex💪🏽your power on #ElectionDay? The HIV community has the chance to demand that our elected officials SHOW UP for people living with HIV by voting. Nothing for us without us!💯 Access more voter resources in the AIDS United Election Center: aidsunited.org/action/electio… #HIVVoter #VoteReady #2024Election #AIDSUnited #ElectionCenter

Excited to share that a guide we developed on how to monitor and evaluate opioid settlement funded initiatives is now available: bigcitieshealth.org/opioid-settlem… The result of collaboration between @preventioninst, @BigCitiesHealth, @ChangeLabWorks, and @RTI_Intl supported by @CDCgov

If you are looking for something to do - here is a go fund me for her wife, Deanna, and their son who was born 2 days ago. Deanna is an amazing addiction med doc and a fixture of our community. Please donate: gofundme.com/f/help-deanna-…

A new consensus statement says that high dose (and costly) Naloxone products are not justifiable. They state: A) take-home naloxone kits should include at least two doses of an intramuscular (IM) product containing 0.4 mg or an intranasal (IN) product containing ≤4 mg; 4) B) At this time, high dose and long-acting opioid antagonists have no use in acute opioid overdose response; and, High dose and long-acting opioid overdose reversal drugs were approved ****without testing for withdrawal and are often aggressively marketed despite decades of evidence from naloxone distribution programs worldwide that the ideal dose of naloxone is one that restores breathing without inducing withdrawal.*****

If you ever have found yourself thinking that forcing people into substance use treatment is a good idea— I invite you to read this new report by @DrugPolicyOrg. Forced treatment is ineffective, harmful, costly and increases overdose risk. Support scientific & evidence-based approaches instead. 👇🏽 drugpolicy.org/resource/repor…

Prop 36 is polling like it’s going to pass in a landslide. It increases the penalty for drug possession to 3 years in prison. 3 years in prison for possessing crumbs of drugs, not committing crimes. The War on Drugs is thriving. 1/

As an overdose survivor, responder, researcher and program implementer, I want to know what our elected leaders plan to do to change drug policy to lower overdose. @CBSNews @NorahODonnell @margbrennan #AskAboutOverdose  #Debates2024 @DrugPolicyOrg Sign: engage.drugpolicy.org/secure/cbs-new…

Why drug overdose deaths are dropping fast: A Q&A with Dr. Daliah Heller nj.com/opinion/2024/0…

One of the biggest open secrets among the drug policy community is that the DEA knows essentially nothing about the local on-the-ground drug situation. Any random guy at your local needle exchange is likely to know more than every DEA agent in the city.

Hope has not been easy to access in recent years, but dramatic drops in overdose deaths across the country give us reason to hope...and to increase investment in programs that get PWUD naloxone, MAT, clean syringes, and access to treatment. npr.org/2024/09/18/nx-…

In another recent revival from the 1980s that no one asked, JD Vance is falsely blaming non-existent rising HIV rates in Ohio on Haitian immigrants. It is especially evil for Vance to spread this lie given the long history of Haitians being discriminated against around HIV.

Check out the latest article from The San Francisco AIDS Foundation Harm Reduction: Promoting Health, Upholding Dignity, Saving lives. "Instead of punitive responses, what’s needed are harm reduction strategies and voluntary, supportive services that respect the dignity and autonomy of people who use substances." - Tyler TerMeer, CEO of The San Francisco AIDS Foundation and Co-chair of the AIDS United Public Policy Council Explore the full article to learn more about the compassionate and evidence-rooted approach of harm reduction. Click the link below to read more: sfaf.org/collections/st… #AIDSUnited #SFAF #harmreduction #harmreductionsaveslives

Many thanks to @ACLUofColorado for taking on the Pueblo City Council! We were grateful to have had the opportunity to file an amicus brief on behalf of @HRAC_Denver and other state orgs making the case for SSPs. dropbox.com/scl/fi/hv9r0ps…

Up to date info on the legality of fentanyl test strips and other drug checking equipment available from @harmreduxlegal

Tiny Rhode Island takes a giant leap towards overdose prevention filtermag.org/providence-ove…

New paper finds that laws that permit people to access naloxone from pharmacies w/o first obtaining a prescription significantly increase naloxone dispensing, and the effects are largest in primary care shortage areas. sciencedirect.com/science/articl…