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.

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! Updated with the opening, closing and press conference videos!

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.

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.

Scotland retains the unwanted title of “Europe’s drug death capital”. How does the Scottish government tackle the problem? We interviewed Angela Constance, the former Minister for Drug Policy of Scotland, at the 63rd session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna in March – find the interview in both video and podcast format below!

Jamie Bridge is a Bedford-based harm reduction professional and the Chief Operating Officer at the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC). We interviewed him on the occasion of the end of his term as the chair of the Vienna NGO Committee – an organisation that links NGOs and the Vienna-based agencies involved in setting drug policy.

Drugreporter recorded six side events, organised by NGOs at the 66th UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs, between 13-17 March, 2023. The issues addressed are implementing a human rights approach in drug policy, the nordic drug policy reform, Ukraine’s harm reduction measures during Russian invasion, environmental impacts of the war on drugs and more.

Igor Kuzmenko, a filmmaker and founder of the Drug Users News (DUNews) video blog, 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.

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!

The Rights Reporter Foundation and Harm Reduction International, with the support of Elton John AIDS Foundation, welcomes entries to the Film Festival at the 27th Harm Reduction International Conference!