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.
Harm Reduction
Harm reduction is a pragmatic and compassionate approach to people who use licit and illicit drugs. As a principle it is applied in several other areas of life, for example when you fasten your seat-belts in a car to reduce the risk of injuries. Policies and services based on harm reduction respect the dignity and freedom of human beings and help them to stay healthy and alive even if they choose to continue using drugs. A very obvious example is to distribute clean needles among people who use drugs to prevent hepatitis C and HIV infections. Harm reduction programs should be part of an integrated social and healthcare system. But harm reduction is much more than just a set of services - it is a movement for freedom and social justice applied in the field of drug policy. Drugreporter is a chronicle of this movement.
Surviving the COVID-19 Era: Stories of People Who Use Drugs from Russia, Ukraine and Norway
The struggle of people who use drugs for survival, dignity and harm reduction in three counties in the COVID-19 era. Read the intriguing report of our intern, Hannah Taylor!
Epicurus and the Philosophy of Harm Reduction
We can find the basic tenets of what we call harm reduction today in an Ancient Greek philosopher’s on how to maximise pleasures and minimise risks.
The Effects of COVID-19 on the Hungarian Drug Market
The Hungarian drug market was affected by the COVID-19 crisis but it is far from being disrupted – read an English summary of an online survey conducted by Drugreporter among its Hungarian readers.
Reducing the Harms of a Broken System: Social Justice Demands During COVID-19
In this time of crisis, harm reduction activists must go beyond their regular demands and urge governments to act quickly to prevent a public health crisis transforming into a social collapse (Greek translation).
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.
The problem of alpha-PVP in Russia and other post-Soviet states
On Russian YouTube, there are videos of alpha-PVP users, acting in bizarre and uncontrollable ways. It’s just one small sign of a vast, hidden epidemic. Read this report from Sam Iravani!
The Rising Wave
“The Rising Wave” is a movie about the organization from Lithuania “Young Wave” (“Jauna Banga” in Lithuanian), which deals with the use of psychoactive substances by young people.
Harm Reduction Must Go On: Position of European Harm Reduction Networks on COVID-19
The Correlation European Harm Reduction Network and the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association published a joint position on the continuity of harm reduction services during the COVID-19 crisis. (PDF: English Russian German Portuguese Spanish Hungarian Polish Czech Montenegrin)
Arild Knutsen: An Open Letter on Covid-19 and People Who Use Drugs
This letter was written by Arild Knutsen, a Norwegian drug user activist, to raise awareness of how the Covid-19 epidemic can affect people who use drugs – and how to protect them.
