Harm reduction
Public health policies which lessen negative aspects of problematic activities
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We include updates on Sex education, Safe sex, Designer drug, Club drug, Breathalyzer, Ignition interlock device, Trip sitter, Needle and syringe programmes, List of reagent testing color charts, Supervised injection site, Erowid, INPUD, DanceSafe, Bystander intervention, Students for Sensible Drug Policy, Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies ... and more.
| March 31 2025 |
Supervised injection site
Ontario is scheduled to close ten drug Supervised Consumption Sites and has banned further establishment of new SCS.
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| March 2025 |
Supervised injection site
A study in British Columbia, Canada examined the association of safer supply and decriminalization policies with opioid overdose outcomes, concluding that neither policy appeared to mitigate the opioid crisis and both were associated with an increase in opioid overdose hospitalizations.
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| March 2025 | A study in British Columbia, Canada examined the association of safer supply and decriminalization policies with opioid overdose outcomes, finding neither policy appeared to mitigate the opioid crisis. |
| October 2024 |
Supervised injection site
The first supervised injection site in Latin America opened in Bogota, Colombia, marking a significant milestone in harm reduction strategies for the region.
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| October 2024 |
Supervised injection site
An official supervised injection site is planned to open in Glasgow, marking the first officially sanctioned facility in the United Kingdom.
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| May 2024 | DULF founders Jeremy Kalicum and Eris Nyx are charged with possession with intent to distribute. |
| February 2024 |
Project Weber/RENEW
The Providence City Council approved the establishment of Rhode Island's first supervised injection site, to be operated by Project Weber/RENEW and VICTA, located near Rhode Island Hospital's campus.
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| 2023 |
Supervised injection site
The Lord Advocate of Scotland announced a policy of not criminally prosecuting individuals using approved supervised drug consumption sites, with Police Scotland confirming they will exercise discretion in not prosecuting site users.
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| 2023 | Concluded her long-term leadership of the mental health and substance use service at Sant Joan de Deu University Hospital and the municipality's drug action plan. |
| 2023 | City council voted to deny VANDU a $7,500 grant for an arts program, making it the only grant out of 84 recommended grants to be denied, due to the organization's misuse of public funds in 2022. |
| May 2023 |
Supervised injection site
Pennsylvania senate passes a bill to ban supervised injection sites statewide with a 41-9 vote, with Governor Josh Shapiro expressing support for the bill.
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| April 2023 | A petition opposing Dr. Borràs' dismissal was launched, gathering 2000 supporters, including international organizations like Harm Reduction International, International Drug Policy Consortium, and INPUD, who advocated for the continuation of her pioneered services. |
| April 2023 | Dr. Tre Borràs Cabacés was dismissed from her positions as head of hospital service and municipal action plan in Reus, sparking controversy about the future of the local health and social care model she had been leading. |
| 2022 |
Supervised injection site
Globally, over 100 drug consumption rooms (DCRs) were operating across multiple countries including Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Mexico, and the USA.
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| 2022 |
Supervised injection site
Governors of California and Vermont vetoed supervised consumption site bills.
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| 2022 |
International Overdose Awareness Day
Drug user networks in Barcelona, Spain organized a walk through the city center, pasting silhouettes of neighbors who were victims of overdose during the year in remembrance.
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| 2022 | VANDU received a city grant for street cleaning, which was later rescinded after the organization allegedly used the funds for purposes other than the contracted work. |
| 2022 | VANDU received a $320,000 grant from the City of Vancouver for street cleaning services in the Hastings Street encampment, but ultimately misused the funds by diverting $160,000 into its general funds without providing the contracted services. |
| December 2022 |
Supervised injection site
Completion of the 11-month period of operation for the San Francisco health department's supervised injection site, which served drug addicts throughout the year.
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| July 2022 |
Supervised injection site
As of July 2022, European countries reported the following number of supervised injection facilities: Belgium (1), Denmark (5), France (2), Germany (25), Greece (1), Luxembourg (2), Netherlands (25), Norway (2), Portugal (2), Spain (13), and Switzerland (14).
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| July 2022 |
Project Weber/RENEW
Rhode Island became the first state in America to legalize supervised drug consumption sites, marking a significant milestone in harm reduction policy.
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| June 2022 |
Project Weber/RENEW
Project Weber/RENEW was honored as Grand Marshals for the Providence PrideFest and Illuminated Night Parade, recognizing their significant contributions to the LGBTQ+ community and harm reduction efforts.
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| January 2022 |
Supervised injection site
San Francisco health department established a center that transitioned from a social services linking service to a supervised drug usage site, which operated for 11 months with drug addicts using the facility.
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| January 2022 |
Project Weber/RENEW
Project Weber/RENEW collaborated with U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha, Local Initiatives Support Corporation Rhode Island, and the Nonviolence Institute to teach a Community Leadership in Nonviolence and Substance Use Prevention class for students at Blackstone Academy Charter School.
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| 2021 |
Supervised injection site
A peer-reviewed study of the first two months of the OnPoint NYC (OPC) operation was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
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| 2021 | Two supervised injection sites opened in the United States. |
| 2021 | Successfully eradicated hepatitis C virus among people who use drugs attending her services. |
| 2021 | TripApp received an award from the Council of Europe, recognizing its innovative approach to drug information sharing and harm reduction. |
| 2021 |
Project Weber/RENEW
Weber/RENEW launched a mobile outreach van serving Providence, Central Falls, and Pawtucket to expand its harm reduction services.
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| 2021 |
Project Weber/RENEW
Weber/RENEW began distributing harm reduction supplies in Kennedy Plaza, establishing its street-level outreach in Providence, Rhode Island.
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| 2021 |
Project Weber/RENEW
Continued in-person harm reduction work and hosted vaccination clinics to support community health during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
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| 2021 |
International Overdose Awareness Day
Young Liberals of Norway (Unge Venstre) marked the day by placing 260 crosses in front of the Storting, representing the average number of people who die of drug-related overdoses in Norway each year.
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| November 2021 |
Supervised injection site
The first government-authorized supervised injection sites in the United States began operating in New York City, operated by OnPoint NYC.
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| July 2021 | VANDU collaborates with the Drug Users Liberation Front (DULF) to distribute cocaine, meth, and heroin, with city councilor Jean Swanson participating in the distribution of substances. |
| May 2021 |
Supervised injection site
The Glasgow supervised injection site opened by Peter Krykant was closed due to lack of funding and support.
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| January 2021 |
Supervised injection site
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit grants an injunction against Safehouse's supervised injection site project.
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| 2020 |
Supervised injection site
The Melbourne North Richmond supervised injection site trial was extended for an additional three years, with the site remaining operational.
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| 2020 |
Supervised injection site
Plans to open an injection site in Somerville, Massachusetts were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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| 2020 | Health authorities in Vancouver, Canada, began dispensing hydromorphone tablets via vending machines as a response to fatal overdoses from fentanyl-contaminated street drugs. |
| 2020 |
Project Weber/RENEW
Weber/RENEW continued in-person harm reduction and outreach work during the COVID-19 pandemic, remaining one of the only organizations in Rhode Island to do so despite transmission risks.
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| 2020 |
Project Weber/RENEW
Expanded services to meet clients' basic needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, including distributing COVID masks, cleaning supplies, hosting vaccination clinics, and sharing educational information about COVID and vaccines.
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| 2020 |
International Overdose Awareness Day
Due to COVID-19 pandemic social distancing measures, recovery arts organizations in the United Kingdom created videos broadcast on Facebook and YouTube instead of live-stream public performances.
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| September 2020 |
Supervised injection site
Peter Krykant, a local drugs worker, opened an unofficially sanctioned supervised injection site in Glasgow, United Kingdom. During its nine-month operation, the facility recorded 894 injection events and volunteers assisted in nine overdose events (seven opioid and two cocaine-related), with no fatalities.
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| September 2020 |
Supervised injection site
An unauthorized SCS was started in a public tent in Lethbridge, Alberta by a group led by a former ARCHES employee, leading to citations and police warnings about potential arrests for drug possession.
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| August 31 2020 |
Supervised injection site
The Alberta government defunds and closes ARCHES SCS in Lethbridge after an audit alleging misuse of public funds, though subsequent police investigation found no criminal misuse.
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| July 2020 |
Supervised injection site
A New England Journal of Medicine study reported on the existence of the clandestine supervised injection site operating since 2014.
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| February 2020 |
Supervised injection site
Safehouse attempts to open a safe consumption site in Philadelphia, facing strong opposition from immediate neighbors and withdrawal of initial lease.
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| 2019 | TripApp mobile application launched by a consortium of organizations, providing real-time alerts from the TEDI database and connecting users with local harm reduction providers. |
| 2019 |
International Overdose Awareness Day
Recovery arts organizations in the United Kingdom successfully held public performances for International Overdose Awareness Day.
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| October 2019 |
Supervised injection site
Safehouse loses initial lawsuit in district court in their attempt to establish a supervised injection site in Philadelphia.
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This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles International Overdose Awareness Day, Harm reduction, Supervised injection site, Project Weber/RENEW, Tre Borràs Cabacés, Trans-European Drug Information & Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.