Historically, drug policy has been written with racist intentions and fueled by hysteria over the war on drugs. This has led to racial disparities in sentencing for crack cocaine possession.
Opioid overdoses are rising during the COVID-19 pandemic and have disproportionately impacted Black people. Harm reduction programs can help mitigate the overdose epidemic.
The opening of the first legalized safe consumption site in New York is allowing people who use drugs a safe place to consume drugs in the hopes of preventing overdoses.
While reports of "government-funded crack pipes" are false, harm reduction activists support adding them to safe smoking kits.
Being knowledgeable about safe drug use is vital, even if you don’t use drugs, since the stigmatization of substance use has deadly outcomes.
