#harm minimisation

Don’t throw out your expired narcan.

If that’s all you have, use it. It’s better than nothing.

The expiration date was recently extended to have a shelf life from 2 to 3 years.

Studies have shown that the efficacy of narcan can last years if not decades after the expiration date.

Don’t throw out your expired narcan.

It makes me so happy that people know they can come to me for it and trust me enough to do so.

Generally the people speaking don't even really know what the person uses and they're assuming.

These terms pathologise and do harm to the problematic nature of drug use which isn't inherently bad.

A person can use drugs without it being particularly bad or problematic and in fact they do it all the time.

You only seem to use the word 'Crackhead' or 'junkie' for certain people who use certain drugs but the upper class person who buys a bag on a weekend is fine.

And so they should be.

They're allowed to use quite like the unhoused person on the street with a mental health condition who self medicates and can't afford bags.

Everyone just deserves to be safe.

But you're use of certain words surrounding drug use makes certain things seem worse than others and it doesn't need to be.

I was talking to an older person who couldn't understand why our government doesn't clamp down on bicycle theft which has become an increasingly widespread problem with immediate clear solutions.

At the root of it, instead of tackling crimes that supplement and support the drug trade, local and federal governments should be implementing adequate and accessible drug rehabilitation, drug harm minimisation and drug decriminalisation.

An approach that clamps down on things like theft only hurt those who are drug users instead of supporting them into recovery.

Take bicycle theft for example.

Bicycle theft is a huge contributor to funding the drug trade at a street level.

People steal a bicycle or a wheel which is sold to a dealer in exchange for drugs if they don't have the money upfront. The bicycle parts go up the chain to get the money back for the dealer.

Stealing a bicycle is seen as easy, a low level offence in most places, a quick and accessible crime with the goods off loaded relatively quickly. There are slight consequence for a high reward if the crime is followed up at all.

Now, what happens if a local government clamps down on bicycle theft?

The drug trade doesn't stop.

People resort to other crimes, probably quite more serious and desperate in order to survive and to constantly avoid dreaded withdrawals.

Other crime rates rise in areas you may not expect crime to occur like affluent parts of cities.

Violent crime, car theft, home invasion rates would rise as people are pushed to commit more serious crimes to support their habits.

I guess the point I'm making is that the drug trade is never going to stop.

Supporting the users instead of targeting and clamping down on their low level petty crimes is the right way to go.

These crimes are by no means victimless but targeting them with additional support or resources to get to the root of the problem only further pushes people to do more crime.

I don’t understand why you’d think I’d be lying about this?

I wasn’t gonna answer this cause I’m sick of accusatory rude anons but here you go.

EVICTIONS DO NOTHING BUT DISPLACE PEOPLE WHICH CAUSES A HOMELESS PROBLEM. THEY SOLVE NOTHING.

A HOUSING FIRST APPROACH ONLY WORKS IF THAT HOUSING IS SAFE, MAINTAINED AND THE PERSON IS SUPPORTED FURTHER IN THIS POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT.

POOR PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME RIGHTS TO SAFE HOUSING AS THE RICH.

DRUG ADDICTS DO NOT DESERVE TO DIE FROM THEIR ADDICTION.

HARM MINIMISATION COSTS MONEY BUT SAVES EVEN MORE OF IT IN THE LONG RUN.

DEFUNDING THE POLICE MEANS PUTTING EXISTING POLICE FUNDING TOWARDS SERVICES TO ACTUALLY HELP PEOPLE BY TRAINED QUALIFED PEOPLE INSTEAD OF RELYING ON UNTRAINED GUYS WITH GUNS TO HANDLE SAID PROBLEMS.

LONGER PRISON SENTENCES AREN'T BENEFICIAL AS A DETERRENT. IT JUST MEANS WE HAVE GIVEN UP ON PEOPLE WHO NEED MORE SUPPORT AND WE AREN'T EVEN TRYING TO REHABILITATE INCARCERATED PEOPLE ANYMORE.

MOST PEOPLE ARE NOT BAD

IT SHOULD BE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT OUR SYSTEMS HAVE FAILED SUPPORT PEOPLE WHO HAVE DONE BAD THINGS AND NOT GIVEN THEM THE SUPPORT THEY NEEDED AND DESERVED.

(By the way writing this is the equivalent of me standing in a field screaming these things just so you can visualise that happening)

People with substance abuse issues lives are important!!!!

Drug and alcohol harm minimisation is important.

Sometimes total sobriety is not an option for people. Sometimes people aren't in the stage of their life where they want it and sometimes the support for total sobriety is not available.

Drug testing should be the norm.

Everyone should carry naloxone/carcan. No one should should be dying of opioid overdoses anymore.

Drug addicts are not inherently bad people and they do not deserve to die from their addiction.

People suffering substance abuse issues are not better off dead than living a life in active addiction.

Recovery is possible. Harm minimisation helps lower risks.

Stop demonising people with substance abuse issues.

I will keep saying this and I will say it again and again.