Meet people where they are at
I am working with people who use drugs to help them as best I can, without asking them to stop, meeting them where they are at, not where we want them to be.
DCRs are necessary
“The United Kingdom’s drug policy is deeply flawed… Drug consumption rooms are not just desirable but necessary as a key component to tackle problematic drug use in our society.” – Ronnie Cowan, MP
Paramedics Respond
Fewer supervised injection sites could mean increased demand for an already understaffed Paramedic service. Closing or underfunding these facilities is an attempt to sweep a crisis under the carpet.
pragmatic
If people are using it, we have to accept that prohibition is still going to make it more dangerous and regulation is going to make it safer. It’s a fundamentally pragmatic position.
Why we should look to pleasure rather than harm when researching drug use
Being better informed about pleasure could yield significant benefits for society as a whole, not just those that use drugs. We invest significant time and money in trying to prevent drug-related harm. Many things we do carry a risk like driving a car, but our approach to reducing traffic fatalities is not to ban driving. Instead we educate drivers and try and minimise the risks of driving.
Portugal
Drug criminalization fuels the United States’ dual crises of mass criminalization and overdose deaths. The Portuguese experience demonstrates that decriminalizing drugs—alongside a serious investment in treatment and harm reduction services—can significantly improve public safety and health.- Widney Brown, managing director of Policy at Drug Policy Alliance
