Filter | harm reduction journalism

"Within 3 months [our community drug research] advisory group lost 3 out of 8 members to smoking-related diseases." Yet as vaping is vilified, "a change would be admission of failure & public health institutions fear this above all else." By @DrMtyndall: filtermag.org/need-vapes-why…

The bill was introduced days after Gov. Abbott asserted, “We must continue to criminalize marijuana in the state of Texas.” Abbott did recently veto a ban on THC-containing hemp products, however; there are more new bills in that area, reports Ben Adlin: filtermag.org/marijuana-lega…

"For harm reduction pioneer @DrMtyndall, safer nicotine products are safe supply for people who smoke." "It’s such a brilliant way to do it," he tells @aftariak, "and it’s so frustrating that a lot of people don’t see it that way." filtermag.org/mark-tyndall-t…

A handful of other state prison systems have waived phone call costs for people in custody, but only when compelled to by new legislation. By @kastaliamedrano: filtermag.org/new-york-free-…

Terrance Cole is a "status quo" appointment who will maintain opposition to reform and might also empower the "war with Mexico" faction of the Trump Administration, experts tell @A_Lekhtman: filtermag.org/trump-dea-pick…

"I don’t blame that preacher—or anyone else—for my decisions," writes Tony Vick @cellsecrets. "But if I'd had a teacher, a book, any source of info to suggest that being gay was not evil and that I was not a monster, my path might have been different." filtermag.org/southern-bapti…

Colorado’s Natural Medicine Advisory Board is now weighing this, with the governor's support. Ibogaine has shown promise for SUD and other conditions, reports @A_Lekhtman, though safety risks post some pratical and ethical questions: filtermag.org/ibogaine-clini…

study by Liam Michaud shows an escalating war on drugs by police: "Police in Ontario are increasingly interfering with the operation of health services, our recent study found. This obstructs people from accessing life-saving care." filtermag.org/ontario-police…

“People don’t wanna go because they don’t feel respected. It's a very policed kind of environment. They don't feel safe.” Study participants in Chicago describe barriers to care, leading them to seek workarounds or leave treatment, reports @sydneyasauer: filtermag.org/seeking-methad…

Some harm reduction providers now have to move every 45 minutes, while others can only operate in two approved locations. By @A_Lekhtman: filtermag.org/kensington-mob…

"The system's use of constant transfers is short-sighted. It teaches us that we don’t have to take care of our communities. When people feel like the place they live is their home, they are motivated to make it better." By Jimmy Iakovos: filtermag.org/prison-transfe…

Federal cost-cutting review led NIDA to stop ordering marijuana from its longstanding supplier, Ole Miss, NIDA reps say. As there are now other DEA-approved growers, insiders are split on the implications for future research, reports Ben Adlin: filtermag.org/nida-halted-ca…