National Harm Reduction Coalition creates spaces for dialogue and action that help heal the harms caused by racialized drug policies. |
+ SUPPORT NHRC’S LIFE-SAVING WORK: NHRC is fighting for the communities our healthcare, criminal-legal, and social service systems continue to abandon. Our team, many with lived and living experience, trains providers in stigma-free care, builds the capacity of syringe services programs, supports peer leaders, strengthens public health departments, and embeds harm reduction into care systems nationwide. As we enter the final stretch of our year-end campaign, we’re asking you to give as generously as you can. Your support isn’t abstract. It’s naloxone in someone’s hand, a peer worker paid for their expertise, a rural program getting the supplies it needs, a community not left behind. Please give today. This movement has always been powered by community, and we move forward because people like you choose to show up.
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+ NHRC CLOSING FOR WINTER BREAK: As the year comes to an end, we're taking time for institutional pause and rest. Starting at 1 p.m. local time on Wednesday, December 24, 2025 through Friday, January 2, 2026, NHRC will be closed. We will resume our normal hours Monday, January 5, 2025. As always, resources, including our Naloxone Finder map, can be found 24/7 on our main website. We’re looking forward to reconnecting in the new year after we recharge!
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+ END THE CULTURE OF VIOLENCE AGAINST SEX WORKERS: Sex work is work, and work should be safe. Together, we must build a world in which sex workers do not experience violence, harassment, exploitation, or disrespect. Every International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers and well beyond one day on the calendar, we must do more than mourn those whose lives were stolen by violence and the culture that allows this abuse to exist. We must uplift the demands and dreams of sex workers to create safer futures. Learn more about sex worker resources here.
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+ RINGING THE ALARM ON WORLD AIDS DAY: The harm reduction movement and NHRC exist because people living with and dying of AIDS — and others who loved and cared for them — stepped up to take care of each other when the government left them behind. This year as we marked World AIDS Day, we’ve seen heightened attacks on the very programs and services we fought so hard to create to save lives from the initial AIDS epidemic. We demand adequate investments in HIV/AIDS care and prevention — now. We cannot slip further backwards. Learn more about NHRC's history here.
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+ POLLING TOP PRIORITIES: Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) has shared a poll in which the organization is gathering feedback on drug policy reform priorities for 2026. Check it out here.
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+ ACTION ALERT: DPA, along with Broken No More, Win Without War, A New Path, and Washington Office on Latin America, have shared a form to urge representatives to restore health services that save lives from overdose and stop killing people abroad in the name of the so-called "War On Drugs." Write to your representatives here.
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+ ADDRESSING OVERDOSE EPIDEMIC IN TRIBAL COMMUNITIES: The Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health is gathering stories from tribes and tribal health organizations to hear how they’ve used Tribal Opioid Settlement Funds to support their communities in addressing and healing from the overdose epidemic. Learn more about sharing submissions here.
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+ CONFERENCES AND EVENTS: -
Save the date for the NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) 2026 International Forum, which will be held as a virtual meeting June 3 through 4, 2026. Stay tuned and learn more here.
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The International Network on Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users (INHSU) Hepatitis C Intervention Symposium is taking place Wednesday, March 18, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. Learn more and register here.
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+ NEWS: From Narcan to Gun Silencers, Opioid Settlement Cash Pays Law Enforcement Tabs — Opioid settlement funds are meant to save lives from the overdose epidemic — not pay officers' salaries, tint police vehicle windows, or fill unrelated budget gaps. VOCAL-Kentucky's Jennifer Twyman talked about how utilizing any opioid settlement funds in a way that doesn't directly support people struggling with their drug use "betrays the settlement's purpose."
Jennifer, who shared a glimpse of her own experience with drug use, told KFF Health News, "'We have people literally dying on our sidewalks. It is the blood from many of my friends, people that I care deeply about...That money could have been me, could have been my life.'"
+ NEWS: Border barriers to harm reduction — The overdose epidemic is a public health issue, not a carceral one. The more we continue to wage a so-called "War on Drugs," more accurately described as a war on people, the more people we will lose from otherwise preventable overdoses. We deserve more — from one "border" to another.
"'Every organization in El Paso that provides substance-use services has lost funding, and it has already had an impact in our ability to serve,' said Jamie Bailey, a peer recovery specialist and the co-chair and co-founder of the El Paso Harm Reduction Alliance. 'It’s a very difficult position to be in because you want to continue to be able to serve your community…and you also don’t want to turn away people that need help based on their immigration status,'" this piece in Texas Observer names.
+ NEWS: The opioid epidemic in Virginia: 2,000+ saved lives, $5.2B in possible savings — This Virginia Commonwealth University coverage shows a glimpse of just how life-saving and effective harm reduction is. While this piece focuses on Virginia, this same evidence-backed work continues to be backed up by data and folks' lived experiences around the U.S. and world.
"We know evidence-based opioid care saves lives and is worth the investment...In 2023, more overdoses were reversed than the number of fatal overdoses that year, thanks to comprehensive harm reduction efforts. And we need to keep more people alive and help them live well, so they have the chance to recover through any path that is right for them," the piece notes.
+ NEWS: The War on Drugs Was a War on Black Mothers — The so-called "War On Drugs" always was — and remains still — a war on Black and brown people in particular, especially Black mothers and birthing people. Black women continue to be overlooked and exploited as this war rages on. They deserved better then, and deserve better now. Read the excerpt in Ms. Magazine for more.
Content note: Mention of violence.
+ NEWS: Harm reduction efforts seek to reduce high overdose rates in Ypsi — Harm reduction is health care, and is deeply interwoven with racial, housing, economic, and environmental justice. This coverage uplifts the life-saving work of Leaf Harm Reduction, focused on building from the ground up.
"From a public health perspective, the goal is really to get folks thinking about how their day-to-day engagements determine their health outcomes, and so we’re really focusing on social determinants of health and trying to curb some of those disparities…Unfortunately those who have diagnosed and undiagnosed substance use disorder and are at highest risk for negative health outcomes are unhoused folks and Black and brown people, or other marginalized populations, and so the goal of this intervention is to really, really focus those at risk groups in an effort to build a level of community resilience from the bottom up," this coverage via WEMU 89.1 shares.
+ NEWS: The 'hard, slow work' of reducing overdose deaths is having an effect — There is no "quick fix" to the ongoing overdose epidemic that continues to steal the lives of our loved ones. But harm reduction — particularly when widely available and funded — saves so many lives, as shown in data and folks' lived experiences.
"'The national conversation is just about warships in the Caribbean and drones and borders,' said Nabarun Dasgupta, who studies overdose trends at the University of North Carolina. 'It discounts this huge groundswell of Americans taking care of Americans. There’s a huge amount of caregiving and tending to the needs of local communities that is being done in a non-flashy way because this is hard, slow work,'" he shared in this Stateline piece.
As noted in the coverage, "Overdose deaths have been dropping steadily since 2023. As of April, the latest date available, deaths were at 76,500 for the previous 12 months — their lowest level since March 2020. A pandemic spike in overdose deaths drove the number as high as almost 113,000 in the summer of 2023, according to federal statistics." |
+ REFORM CONFERENCE RECAP: NHRC was ecstatic to join almost 2,000 participants at DPA's Reform Conference in Detroit, Michigan! Through DPA’s support, the NHRC team participated at the Syringe Services Programs (SSPs) Pre-Conference and held a social and strategic gathering of Latine/x folks from the Global South and North in collaboration with DPA’s Latine/x policy team members. NHRC also interviewed attendees about their knowledge and views on tobacco harm reduction (THR) and shared THR resources.
Of note was the first plenary session, in which speakers Monique Tula, NHRC’s former executive director, and Tracie Gardner of the National Black Harm Reduction Network, shared stories about how drug use and incarceration had impacted their families and themselves, and how these experiences continue to shape drug policy reform in Black and brown communities. The pair also noted how Black, brown, and Native/Indigenous folks are excluded from harm reduction and drug policy discussions, and invited attendees to center their own experiences to create change.
Other workshops focused on topics including — but not limited to — the so-called "War On Drugs," more accurately described as a war on people, the prison industrial complex and immigration policy, substance regulation, and much more. The Global South was at the center stage throughout much of the conference. Learn more about the biennial event here.
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+ RESOURCES AND REPORTS: -
NHRC is excited to launch two additional online modules free for NYC residents, LGB/TGNCNB 101 and Stigma 101! These modules are self-paced and take approximately 90 minutes. LGB/TGNCNB 101 is a module that explores health disparities LGB/TGNCNB people who use drugs and engage in sex work face, dispels myths, and provides strategies for affirming care. Stigma 101 is a module that explores stigma's roots, forms, and impact and offers tips to help create change. Learn more about the rest of our NYC online courses here, and see our full online learning center here.
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Harm Reduction International (HRI) has shared updates to data in its report, "The Global State of Harm Reduction." As HRI notes, the full report is published every two years with updates to key data between editions of the report. Read the briefing here.
- The International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) has announced its "Drug Decriminalisation [e]Course" is once again available online at no cost. Learn more and access the course here.
NHRC is referenced in this Health Affairs piece, "Harm Reduction in Shelter Settings," in which harm reduction strategies and recommendations are provided for emergency shelters and housing sites with the goal of creating more welcoming environments for people who have been marginalized.
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This JAMA Health Forum investigation "Fatal Opioid Overdoses by Historical and Contemporary Neighborhood-Level Structural Racism” found that, "census tracts with high levels of racism in the past and/or present showed statistically significantly higher number of fatal overdoses compared with tracts with low levels of racism both in the past and present…These findings provide preliminary evidence that structural racism could be a root cause of opioid-involved overdose deaths. Future research is needed to identify mechanisms linking structural racism to overdose deaths and to develop effective policies and programs to reduce fatal overdose rates."
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Research published in Harm Reduction Journal noted that, "With the overdose crisis continuing to pose significant challenges in North America, harm reduction strategies are critical for public health systems to deliver optimal evidence-based prevention and care. Despite the considerable strides in harm reduction research, high-quality evidence for decision-makers is often limited. This is compounded by the inconsistent use of validated harm reduction assessment tools and variation of instruments across studies, which make it difficult to interpret and generalize findings, archive data for future use, and harness the power of cumulative science."
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The Journal of American Pharmacists Association shared an article titled, "Access to Syringes at Pharmacies (ASAP): Preliminary impact of a pharmacy-level intervention" which examined an intervention created to increase non-prescription syringe sales and cut down on stigma.
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As published by the Harm Reduction Journal in its publication, "Neo-colonialism and financing for the war on drugs: a review of current policy and recommendations for countries in the global north," Needle and Syringe Programs (NSPs) "work and reviews have concluded that they are safe, cost-effective and effective. Studies on NSPs show significant reductions in needle sharing and reuse, overdoses, injecting/discarding needles in public places and reduced fatalities due to overdose."
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+ FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES: -
Love Positive Women (LPW) is providing micro-grants to groups of women living with HIV who have ideas for initiatives in their communities. Learn more here.
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Through the Jerry Greenfield National Grassroots Organizing Program, the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation is offering unrestricted grants. Check it out here.
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Emergent Fund offers monthly grant opportunities, due the third Thursday of each month. Read more about the grants here.
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The Peace Development Fund has a range of grant offerings geared for community organizing, which include general operating funds. Learn more here.
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Monthly $1,000 grants are available through The Awesome Foundation. See information about opportunities here.
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+ TRAININGS AND WEBINARS: -
NHRC is continuing to roll out tobacco harm reduction (THR) learning opportunities! Our next free webinar, "Supporting Choice and Autonomy: Person-Centered Care and Tobacco Harm Reduction," is happening Wednesday, March 11, 2026, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET. Sign up today!
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NHRC is thrilled to continue offering monthly Foundational Fridays training sessions, which focus on building basic knowledge about various intersectional public health issues. The free sessions, running from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. ET the last Friday of each month, are for providers, peers, and anyone in the harm reduction community as well as anyone looking to learn more about the field. To sign up for the January 30, 2026 session, "Syringe Access 101," click here. To sign up for the February 27, 2026 session, "Dismantling Drug-Related Stigma," click here. Stay tuned for updates about our latest Foundational Fridays series! For more information, contact Jose Martinez at [email protected].
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The Harm Reduction Nurses Association is hosting the webinar, "Perinatal Substance Use" on January 20, 2026, at 12 p.m. PT. Register and learn more here.
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Missed Harm Reduction International’s webinar, "Keeping Harm Reduction Alive: Strategies Amid a Global Funding Collapse?" Check out the recording here.
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If you support emergent and exciting work at National Harm Reduction Coalition, please join our community of monthly donors, the Harm Reduction Champions! |
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Hiring? Send us a note about open positions in harm reduction to [email protected] to have a job post shared here.
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