On this edition of Free Culture Radio we’re going to talk about harm reduction services for people who use stimulants, or rather we’re going to listen to portions of a panel on the subject that featured Mike Discepola with the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Mindy Vincent with the Utah Harm Reduction Coalition, Isaac Jackson with the Urban Survivor’s Union, Shilo Hassan Jama with the People’s Harm Reduction Alliance, Daniel Raymond with the Harm Reduction Coalition, and was moderated by Lindsay LaSalle with the Drug Policy Alliance.
Indicators within the US and internationally are showing a marked increase in the use of stimulants. This has been going on for years. It’s been overshadowed by the overdose crisis, which of course has been propelled by synthetic opioids such as fentanyl making their way into the drug supply – that’s why politicians continue to talk about an opioid crisis. It’s easier. Well, easier to avoid the blame, if politicians were to instead talk about deaths of despair then some of them might have to accept some level of responsibility and that’s just not how American politics operates.
Of course, dear listener, you and I know that there are better ways. Smarter, more effective ways of doing things. That’s part of what this show is all about.
- KBOO