Persons who inject drugs

This video is part of the NIDA series At the Intersection: Stories of Research, Compassion, and HIV Services for People who Use Drugs.“Harm reduction” is defined as interventions aimed to help people avoid the negative effects of drug use by meeting people where they are with kindness and respect. In this video, viewers hear from people who use drugs, people who are in recovery from drug use, and harm reduction professionals on what harm reduction is (and isn’t) in their own words.

Harm Reduction Hacks is the product of a series of 38 qualitative conversations with harm reduction leaders representing every region of the US that took place in the Fall of 2020 and the Spring of 2021.

Data suggest nearly 3.7 million people, or 1.5% of the U.S. adult population, injected drugs in 2018--a dramatic increase from 2011. Ensuring PWID have have access to dignified care, services focused on preventing overdoses and the sprerad of infectious disease, and resources to improve housing access and socioeconomic factors produce better outcomes for individuals and communities alike.

This technical package provides a broad framework for new and existing SSPs to ensure needs-based service delivery, reduce harms related to injection drug use, and link participants to services that support their health and wellness.