Steve Kamenicky
I know people have heard stories about shooting them up with milk or salt water, that doesn’t work. Naloxone works. – Steve Kamenicky
McDonald’s bathroom is better?
We need to play that game where we require politicians to finish every sentence denouncing supervised injection facilities with the phrase, “and that is why I think injecting alone in a McDonald’s bathroom is better.”
Atypical opioid overdoses – fentanyl
High doses of fentanyl injected quickly can result in overdoses that are atypical of opioid overdoses as most people know them, signalling a need to both be aware of the new symptoms and to tailor emergency responses. First responders and other front-line staff report that many overdoses caused by such injections are resulting in muscle rigidity, characterized by jaw and fist clenching, and a tightness to the chest that keeps it from rising and falling, making it difficult to ventilate the patient..
Not just for other people
Harm reduction, not just for other people.
Response to bad naloxone research
The paper consistently makes use of negative clichés and stigmatising language to describe people who use drugs. In one instance, the authors describe their hypothesis of how “saving more addicts’ lives increases the stock of drug users and the pool of people who need to fund their addictions”. Note to researchers: if you find yourself referring to any group of people as stock, as if they were goods on a warehouse shelf, you’re doing something seriously wrong.
SF needs a SIF
…when someone comes to a SIF, they don’t just shoot up and leave – they will have access to, if they want it, a litany of other health and wellness amenities. These could include case management, entrance into rehab or detox programs, shelter services, free meals, workforce development training, showers, and more. In this so-called “integrated model”, every interaction builds trust and community, and opens pathways for people to feel empowered to help themselves.
