Although Roma people now compose the majority of the clients of many harm reduction services in many countries from the Baltic to the Balkans, racial justice as an issue is very rarely addressed by the harm reduction community in the region.
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.
Chasing the Paranoid Dragon: Alpha-PVP
Some tabloid newspapers call it the “zombie drug” – but what is behind sensationalist media reports? Bojan Arsenijevic explores the mysterious AlphaPVP in his article.
HR19 Film Festival at the Harm Reduction International Conference 2019: Call for Submissions!
The Rights Reporter Foundation and Harm Reduction International welcomes entries to the Film Festival at the 26th Harm Reduction International Conference! The deadline is extended to March 13, 2019 (11:59 pm CET)
Where Mental Health and Clubbing Intersect
Although we talk a lot about the risks of drug use at dance parties and festivals, do we address the mental health issues among party going young people as well? Read the article of two Serbian outreach workers from the NGO ReGeneration!
Migrants Are Not Responsible for Spreading Disease – But Bad Policies Are
While the Hungarian politicians, similarly to other populist forces in Europe, falsely claim that migrants brings disease, they ignore the evidence about what really works in stopping disease.
Bulgarian Harm Reduction Drown in Bureaucracy: Interview with Yuliya Georgieva
The news came as a shock: all harm reduction programs were terminated this year in Bulgaria, an EU member state. Why? Yuliya Georgieva, a veteran Bulgarian harm reduction activist from the Centre for Humane Policy and the new co-chair of the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association, answered our questions.
8 Lessons Learned at the European Harm Reduction Conference
The 4th European Harm Reduction Conference took place in Bucharest on 21-23 November, 2018. Please watch the video report we made at the event – and read about some of the messages we could take home.
International Developments and Harm Reduction
We filmed this session at the 4th European Harm Reduction Conference in Bucharest, Romania, where professionals and activists discussed the contribution of civil society to improve access to harm reduction programs in Europe.
WHY ARE SOME DRUGS ILLEGAL? – Just Say Know series No. 2.
Have you ever wondered why are some drugs illegal and others are not? Because illegal drugs are more dangerous, you may think. But you are wrong! Watch the next episode of our Just Say Know series and learn why – please share it with your friends and peers!
Speech at the UN about the Harm Reduction Crisis in Central and Eastern Europe
Peter Sarosi from Rights Reporter Foundation spoke about the crisis of harm reduction in Central and Eastern Europe at the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs intersessional meeting in Vienna on 8 November, 2018.
