Drugreporter

News and Films from the Frontline of the War on Drugs

Police Demolished “Illegal” Drug Consumption Room in Helsinki

By Péter Sárosi | May 25, 2023

In order to raise public awareness of effective overdose-death prevention methods, activists set up an unofficial drug consumption room in the middle of Helsinki.

NEWS AND FILMS FROM THE FRONTLINE OF THE WAR ON DRUGS SINCE 2004

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Mariupol. The city that was killed

By Igor Kuzmenko | May 16, 2023

This is the story of Natasha Kaluzhskaya, a patient in an opioid substitution programme in Mariupol, Ukraine. Mariupol was completely destroyed by the Russian army in 2022. Under the bombs, Natasha rescued people who were using drugs. She managed to survive. And today she stands as a witness to the crimes of war in Ukraine.

LIFE UNDER OCCUPATION – Part V. We kept watching

By Igor Kuzmenko | May 4, 2023

We wanted to remember it, to make sure it would never be forgotten. On 29 August, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched an operation to liberate the right bank of Kherson Oblast. And despite the regime of silence imposed by the General Staff, despite the disgusting communications, good news reached us from time to time.

LIFE UNDER OCCUPATION – Part IV. The ground was burning under their feet

By Igor Kuzmenko | April 24, 2023

Summer came to Kherson, with thick morning mists and frog concerts at night. Sweet cherries, juicy apples, and all of the many things that the soil generously provides began to appear. And with them came blackouts and mobile phone disconnection.

STRENGTH IN SOLIDARITY – The HR23 Summary Video

By István Gábor Takács | April 19, 2023

After three intense days the Harm Reduction International Conference came to an end today. If you could not make it to Melbourne, don’t worry: as always, the Drugreporter team was there to film. Watch and share!

The HR23 Film Festival Programme

By István Gábor Takács | April 16, 2023

Drugreporter and Harm Reduction International co-organises the HR23 Film Festival next week in Melbourne, sponsored by Elton John AIDS Fund. This is the final programme of the film festival.

Rap Against Cannabis Prohibition: An Interview with Mata

By István Gábor Takács | April 13, 2023

Michal Matczak (or as he is known among his fans: Mata) is a Polish rapper and activist who launched a campaign for decriminalisation in his country. We interviewed him in Vienna at the 66th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, where he came to share his story and promote decriminalisation.

ALL THE ARTICLES IN ONE PLACE
ALL THE VIDEOS IN ONE PLACE

Our latest film: STRENGTH IN SOLIDARITY – The HR23 Summary Video

Browse close to a thousand videos on drug policy, harm reduction and human rights! You can search by topic, country and series, and you find all the films on a world map as well!

All the videos in one place!

Russian language videos on drug policy, harm reduction and human rights.

Igor Kuzmenko, a filmmaker and co-founder of the Drug Users News (DUNews) documentary studio, needs your help! Please make a donation today to support his work to produce a series of documentaries about the community of people who use drugs in Ukraine during the war. Movies about the people, organizations, and networks that save thousands of Ukrainians from death and give hope every day.

LIFE UNDER OCCUPATION – Part IV. The ground was burning under their feet

Summer came to Kherson, with thick morning mists and frog concerts at night. Sweet cherries, juicy apples, and all of the many things that the soil generously provides began to appear. And with them came blackouts and mobile phone disconnection.

LIFE UNDER OCCUPATION – Part III. Substitution therapy under fire

Time passed. The occupation continued. As spring came, the situation in the city hardened. The Russians began to behave more brazenly and defiantly, and gradually life turned into a chronicle of violence and crime.

LIFE UNDER OCCUPATION – Part II. Under the power of the Dementors

Imagine for a moment that you have been deprived of the ability to do the usual routine things; to leave the house whenever you like, to walk wherever you like, to go to the cinema, museums, or the theatre, to drink coffee with friends at the corner café, to buy something at the shop, to go to a neighbouring town or to another country. When – in one moment – you find yourself under occupation, you lose everything that your life consisted of.

LIFE UNDER OCCUPATION - Part I. The day that changed our lives

We found out about the war on the morning of 24 February. All the news channels were screaming about it. We were literally crushed by the news: missile attacks on Kiev, Odessa, Dnipro, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk... At the same time gigantic military columns were heading towards Kiev, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Odessa...

NONEXISTENT? WE EXIST!

This documentary is about the communities of people living with HIV in Russia. It tells the story of how the members of the most vulnerable communities affected by the HIV epidemic, such as drug users, sex workers, and LGBTQ people, struggle for survival and dignity in a hostile cultural and political environment. Visit the official page for more info!

The Maternity Hospital as a Place of Punishment:

Pregnancy and the birth of a child is a bright, big, and important event. It’s about the laws of the universe and love. But, in the opinion of many medical professionals, women living with drug addiction in Ukraine have no right to it. If you choose to inject, you deserve to die.

Video news on drug policy and harm reduction in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Episode #1

DUNews, together with Talking Drugs, presents the first episode of Drug Policy and Harm Reduction News from Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In it, we bring you up to date on important developments in our countries and give the floor to experts for comment. We will be publishing these video newsletters on a regular basis.

Ivan Anoshkin. Survivor

Ivan Anoshkin’s life is a chronicle of the state’s crimes against human beings and his path to strength, truth, and freedom.

MEETINGS WITH NICE PEOPLE. ALEXEY KURMANAEVSKII

Alexei Kurmanaevsky, an activist and human rights activist, emigrated from Russia to Israel four years ago. Alexei Kurmanaevsky is known to everyone in the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. He was always in the public eye, but disappeared after he moved to Israel. We did not manage to arrange an interview with him for a long time. And just recently he wrote that he was ready to talk.

People by Right

The lives of people who use drugs mean death, prison, disease, stigma and discrimination, lack of access to treatment and employment, destroyed families, and children taken away. This is the story of human rights activists and RuNPUD (Russian Speaking Network of People Who Use Drugs) from the Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) region, from the series of “People by Right” videos.

TARGETS

The film ‘Targets’ is a story about the women in Ukraine who are branded as “drug addicts” and who are being destroyed by the state today. These women are targets, and a real war is being waged against them. The film is an attempt to understand why this is happening and what needs to be done to stop these deaths.

Sergiu the Protector

Sergiu Grimalski is a person to whom thousands of people from all over the world owe their freedom, health, and life. For 16 years he has walked the streets of Berlin with a backpack on his shoulders, helping the people who are most marginalised – drug users and sex workers.

Road 184

“Road 184” is a movie about the Estonian Community of People who Use Psychotropic Substances, LUNEST, the first officially registered Estonian organization that protects the rights of drug users. Today, LUNEST unites people who speak different languages and have different citizenship, as well as those who do not have any citizenship in Estonia.
Click here for all the videos by DUNEWS

Monthly drug policy news update

More Drugreporter News episodes!

The Drug policy talk show with Péter Sárosi

More Drugreporter Café episodes!

JUST SAY KNOW SERIES

Our Just Say Know video series aim to educate the public about drugs, drug polices and harm reduction in a simple, easy-to-understand way, using the power of video advocacy and social media networks.

WHY ARE SOME DRUGS ILLEGAL? – Just Say Know series No. 2.

5 Reasons Why We Cannot Make the World Drug-free – Just Say Know Series, Episode 3.

WHAT IS HARM REDUCTION? – Drugreporter’s Just Say Know Series, Episode 4.

Kostya Proletarsky

Our award winning animated documentary is based on the original audio recording of Kostya Proletarsky, a drug user and HIV activist who died as a result of mistreatment and torture at a Russian prison. The hand drawn animation film was awarded the Best Short Documentary award at the Madrid Film and Human Rights Festival and the Best Documentary award of the 65th Hungarian National Independent Film festival in 2020. Click here for the official web page.

...our most popular short docs:

Fixpunkt Berlin: Supporting People Who Use Drugs in Berlin

A harm reduction organisation is on the frontline of helping those marginalised people who use cocaine and heroin on the streets – Read our report from Berlin and watch our short film about the drug consumption van by Fixpunkt!

Decriminalisation in Portugal: Through the Lens of People who Use Drugs

In this short film we summarise what the community of people who use drugs in Portugal acknowledges about the famous drug policy model of Portugal, but also what they would like to see improved.

A Visit to a Drug Consuption Room in Athens

Seven years after our last visit, we returned to Athens to film about harm reduction in Greece, with a special focus on the first drug consumption room. Read our article and watch the movie we produced!

Metzineres: From Survival to Fighting Back

Metzineres provides a safe haven for womxn who use drugs who are also surviving violence in Barcelona. They are not passive victims to be rescued – we can learn a lot from them about community empowerment. Watch our new video produced together with INPUD!

InSite – Not Just Injecting, But Connecting

InSite is an injecting site – and so much more. Watch our movie and learn why the Canadian government should not shut it down!

Crossings – Stories of Migrant Sex Workers

Crossings is a sex-worker produced documentary about the effects of criminalisation on migrant sex workers in Europe and the powerful ways of their resistance. Produced in cooperation between Drugreporter and ICRSE.

Crackdown on Civil Society – The Movie

This film – produced by the Rights Reporter Foundation, supported by AFEW International – features activists and civil society organisations who are being increasingly targeted by repressive governments in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The movie presents a story of oppression, resistance and survival seen through the eyes of human rights defenders.

DYING A SLOW DEATH: Inside Indonesia’s Drug War

PKNI and Drugreporter launch their new documentary film in 4 cities across Indonesia ahead of World AIDS Day 2015. Watch and share the film to end the war on drugs in Indonesia!

The War on Drugs in Mexico: Is There an Alternative?

Drugreporter's video advocacy team travelled to Mexico in 2010 to film about the negative consequences of the war on drugs campaign launched by President Felipe Calderon in 2006. When we first entered the country, the number of people killed in the war was approaching 40,000. Today, the death toll is approximately 60,000.

The Gendered Impacts of the War on Drugs

How does the war on drugs affect women? Is it really so different from how it affects men? Our knowledge was very limited before we interviewed the participants of an international workshop in Budapest. Please watch our video report and read our article!

DR. ZEE – THE MAN WHO DISCOVERED MEPHEDRONE

Watch our video interview with the man who discovered Mephedrone, the drug also known as Meow-Meow!

After the War on Drugs

How will a post-prohibition world look like? – Learn from our video!

Peer2Peer – Reinforcing Peers’ Involvement in Outreach Work

Who are peers? Why is the involvement of peers crucial in service provision to people who use drugs and are in need? This short movie documents a study visit to Amsterdam and Antwerp, two cities with a long history of peer involvement.

HepaGo – Supporting people living on the streets during the pandemic

This unique program supports people who use drugs and sex workers who live or work on the streets during the COVID-19 pandemic in Budapest. One of their main goals is to help people get into Hepatitis C treatment. Watch our video and find out how!

ROOM IN THE 8th DISTRICT – Campaign Report

Read a report about our campaign for opening supervised injection sites in Budapest – and watch our campaign movie with English subtitles!

Abuse in the Name of Treatment – Drug Detention Centers in Asia

There are hundreds of thousands of people kept in compulsory drug detention centers in Vietnam, China, Thailand and Laos. It is easy to get in to one of these centers. Some people enter voluntarily in the hope of kicking their drug habit, others are sent there by their families who pay for their “treatment”; but in some cities, it often happens that the military police just collect street children, drug users, sex workers and other groups on the street.

Paving the Way

The legal regulation of marijuana is not sci-fi any more: the potential models of legalization are here. Watch Drugreporter's 2010 video on Harborside, an outstanding medical marijuana center in Oakland, California.

Take Home Naloxone – The Right to Survive Overdoses

Watch Drugreporter's 2010 video on Naloxone prescription, the best way to fight opiate overdoses.
Click here for all the short documentaries

A Day in the Life: The World of Humans Who Use Drugs

This film takes us through one day in the life of eight people, from seven cities, in seven different countries of the world, from morning until night. They all have something in common - all of them use drugs. But these people are not defined by their drug use.

"The film gives us an astonishingly intimate look at the lives, tribulations and inspiring resilience of drug using human beings." Gabor Maté M.D."

 

...some more long docs:

The Wall of Shame – Why crack consumption rooms are needed in Paris

In the last 3 decades marginalized people who use crack in Paris have been chased from one public park to the other by the police. Recently the police even built a wall to block the users from the rest of society. This new documentary explores the history of crack in Paris, and amplifies the voices of experts and residents who call for a better solution: safe crack consumption rooms.

TAKING BACK WHAT’S OURS! AN ORAL HISTORY OF THE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE WHO USE DRUGS:

Drugreporter and INPUD produced this documentary film series that aims to document how the movement of people who use drugs have formed around the world, how they maintain momentum and mobilise, and how they undertake their work and show resilience in a context of criminalisation, marginalisation and oppression.

The Narcofeminism Storyshare Model

Watch and listen to womxn who are sharing their stories about pregnancy, parenting and drug use. These stories represent truth and courage and act as a testament to the power of the Narco Feminism story share model. Drugreporter produced this short documentary film together with the International Network of People who Use Drugs (INPUD) and the North Carolina Urban Survivors Union (NCUSU).

NONEXISTENT? WE EXIST!

The documentary tells the story of how the members of the most vulnerable communities affected by the HIV epidemic, such as drug users, sex workers, and LGBTQ people, struggle for survival and dignity in a hostile cultural and political environment. Through their eyes, it shows the successes and challenges civil society organisations face when they implement HIV prevention, treatment, and care services in 7 Russian cities: Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Naberezhnye Chelny, Almetyevsk, Kazan and Kaliningrad.
Click here for all the long documentaries

TAKING BACK WHAT’S OURS!

An Oral History of the Movement of People who Use Drugs - documentary series

Episode 1. The Netherlands, Belgium and France

Drugreporter and INPUD presents the first episode of a 10 chapter long series documenting how people who use drugs around the world have organised and formed collectives and unions to protect and defend the health and human rights of their community. The first episode uncovers he history of the movement in the Netherlands, and how it inspired activists in Belgium and France.

Episode 2. Canada

Drugreporter and INPUD present the second episode of an oral history of the movement of people who use drugs. The second chapter is about Canada, featuring Ann Livingston, Zoë Dodd and the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) team.

Episode 3. Germany, Denmark and Norway

Drugreporter and INPUD present the third instalment of an oral history of the movement of people who use drugs. This episode is about the achievement of drug user groups in Germany, Denmark, and Norway.

TAKING BACK WHAT’S OURS! – Episode 4. South Africa

Drugreporter and INPUD present the fourth episode of an oral history of the movement of people who use drugs. This time we discover the vibrant user movement in South Africa.

Episode 5. United States of America.

Activists from the United States look back on the history of the movement of people who use drugs in the fifth episode of the documentary series produced by INPUD and Drugreporter.

Episode 6. Australia and New Zealand

The history of the movement of people who use drugs in Australia is a long and rich one. It is one of the few countries that has funded user organisations for over 30 years now.

Episode 7. Asia

Despite criminalisation, torturous forced labour camps, capital punishment, and state sanctioned murder of people who use drugs, the movement of people who use drugs in Asia remains strong and resilient. Watch the new episode of our series telling the oral history of the movement of people who use drugs in Asian countries!

Episode 8. Afghanistan, Tanzania and Mexico

In this episode of the oral history of the movement of people who use drugs, we introduce three countries with new and emerging user movements: Afghanistan, Tanzania, and Mexico.

Episode 9. Russia, Georgia and Ukraine

In today’s episode of the oral history of the movement of people who use drugs, we travel to three Eastern European countries, where activists fight very restrictive drug policies.

Episode 10. The United Kingdom and the International Network of People who Use Drugs

In the final episode of our documentary series on the history of the rights movement of people who use drugs, we introduce activists from the UK and from the International Network of People Who Use Drugs.
Click here for the official page of the series!

Browse videos produced by members of our international activist videographer network. Many of them are alumni of our video advocacy and media training courses.

Narcotisation and Authoritarianism

Activists from Legalize Belarus published this important advocacy documentary, about the war on drugs in Belarus.

SHIFTS: Individual Narratives

SHIFTS: Individual Narratives: How much does the general public actually know about psychoactive substances and how these are used in their own communities? To check it out for themselves, NoBox went to two known universities in the Philippines and asked young university students questions about drugs and the people involved with them.

Reaching the Unreached

Reaching the Unreached: This documentary shows the experiences of outreach workers and peers in providing critical connections to prevention, treatment, and care to people who use drugs and sex workers in remote Sagaing villages in North West Myanmar. Produced by Drugreporter’s video advocacy alumni, Ko Si Thu Aung.

Psychedelics and Mental Health in the COVID-Era

Psychedelics and Mental Health in the COVID-Era: Psychedelics, mental health, COVID-19, and our drug laws: The Silent Pandemic and the search for innovation in the treatment of mental health problems. Please read this article by Beatrix Vas – and watch the movie they produced about research on psychedelics!

Boosters – (Not so) New Drugs in Poland

Boosters – (Not so) New Drugs in Poland: The members of Drugreporter’s video advocacy network produced a movie about the new generation of synthetic drugs that conquered Poland in 2008 – and are still popular.

Chemsex and the City

On the occasion of the Global Day of Action of the Suport. Don’t Punish campaign, during Pride month, Re Generation organised a screening of the film “Chem-Sex and the city” in Belgrade. The film was produced with the support of the Drugreporter Video Advocacy Network. Watch the video and read Irena Molnar’s report!

Overdose – Situation in Montenegro

This short movie, produced by a member of our video advocacy network, gives an insight into overdose prevention in a small Southern-Eastern European country, Montenegro.

Petr’s Journey

A new movie produced by the alumni of our video training, tells the story of Petr, a 50 years old man from Prague, who lost his leg, his has no home, no job – but his has now hope to change his life with the help of opiate substitution treatment.

Harm Reduction Challenge in Slovakia

Watch the video of Odyseus C.A., member of the Drugreporter video network, about the harm reduction situation in Slovakia with a brief outlook to the Czech Republic.

Jakarta’s Crystal Injustice

This is the story of Maulana who was caught and tortured by the Indonesian police for possessing a small amount of crystal meth. Watch the video of Yohan Misero (LBH Masyarakat), member of the Drugreporter video network!

Anyone’s Child: Mwana and Fatuma

A story from Anyone’s Child Kenya about a mourning mother and sister. Watch the latest video of Anyone’s Child Campaign and Cara Lavan supported by the Drugreporter.

Netti’s Story: A Pregnant Woman’s Journey in the Healthcare System in Berlin

Our new film features the story of Netti, her son Sam, and their experience with services for pregnant women who use drugs in Berlin.

Now and Then – Psychedelic Science 2017

How does the first wave of psychedelic research and science from the 1940s and 50s compare to what is ongoing today worldwide? 2017 saw the biggest international psychedelic conference that has ever taken place. Watch the video produced by the Mexican members of our global video network!

Without Shift: Harm Reduction After Global Fund in Serbia

Serbia stopped being eligible for funding from the Global Fund, which resulted in the closure of harm reduction programs around the country. Our movie gives you a glimpse of the desperate situation faced by injecting drug users in Serbia, and also explores the consequences of the closure of needle exchange programs in Belgrade, whilst trying to assess the current situation in the country!

Cannabis in Italy: Between Criminalisation and Legalisation

“The question is no longer whether cannabis will be legalized, but when.” Watch this 3 minutes animated video clip produced by a member of our global video network, CILD, explaining why cannabis should be legalized in Italy!

People Who Use Drugs Clean-up Their Neighbourhood In Slovakia

“We wanted to show to the whole neighbourhood that people who use drugs are not indifferent and have a great power to do great things. It is only a matter of opportunity.” Odysseus, a Slovakian harm reduction NGO uses video advocacy to reach out local communities.

We Need Room for Change!

Drugreporter, in cooperation with seven other NGOs, proudly presents the new international campaign Room for Change—because we need to change the way we respond to urban drug problems.

Fight HIV, Not Drug Users!

A new movie by Dhojo Wahengbam on the severe rights violations committed against people who use drugs in Manipur.
Click here for all the videos by the Drugreporter Video Advocacy Network!

DRUG POLICY ADVOCACY IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

Stop Blaming Cocaine Users for the Harms of Bad Drug Policies

By Péter Sárosi | February 16, 2023

The EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson accused cocaine users of being responsible for the death of an 11 year old girl who was caught in a shooting by drug traffickers. But the real culprit is the current drug control system that maximises harm by sweeping cocaine under the rug. 

Harm Reduction in Athens – With the Eye of an Outsider

By Péter Sárosi | November 23, 2022

Seven years after our last visit, we returned to Athens to film about harm reduction in Greece, with special regard to the first drug consumption room. Read our article and watch the movie we produced!

How Will Czechia Legalise Cannabis?

By Péter Sárosi | October 19, 2022

The Czech Republic is the first country in Central-Eastern Europe that announced to make the non-medical use of cannabis legal. In this episode of Drugreporter Café, we present an interview with Jindrich Voboril, the National Drug Coordinator, who explained us how they will regulate the legal market.

MORE NEWS ON EU LEVEL ADVOCACY

COVID-19 HARM REDUCTION UPDATE

In this section Drugreporter provides regular updates about resources and news on how harm reduction service providers respond to the COVID-19 Epidemic.

MEETINGS WITH NICE PEOPLE. ALEXEY KURMANAEVSKII

By Igor Kuzmenko | August 18, 2021

Between Waves: Update on the COVID-19 and Harm Reduction Situation in Europe

By Péter Sárosi | November 9, 2020

Psychedelics and Mental Health in the COVID-Era

By Péter Sárosi | September 7, 2020
More COVID-19 Harm Reduction Updates!

Browse our topics:

Activism (146) COVID-19 (10) Criminalisation (206) Dose of Science (14) Drug Consumption Rooms (114) Drug Policy and Law (545) European Drug Policy (246) Harm Reduction (499) Hepatitis (109) HIV/AIDS (153) Marijuana Policies (106) Medical Marijuana (30) Needle and syringe programs (108) New Psychoactive Substances (55) Opiate Substitution (108) Overdose Prevention (95) Psychedelic Medicines (30) Regulation and Control (246) Russian Drug Policy (53) Sex Work (21) United Nations Drug Policy (135) US Drug Policy (77)

Browse by video series:

Animation (3) Counting the Costs of the Global Drug War (15) Drug Policy Alliance conferences (24) Drugreporter Café (12) Drugreporter News (11) European Harm Reduction Conferences (5) Funding crisis of Harm Reduction in Eastern-Europe (8) Harm Reduction Coalition Conferences (6) International AIDS Conferences (15) International Harm Reduction Conferences (40) Just Say Know (4) Lessons for Drug Policy Series (6) Long documentaries (16) Short documentaries (59) TAKING BACK WHAT’S OURS! Documentary Series (11) The Andrey Rylkov Foundation (11) UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) (39) Written interviews (29)