04/12/2022
The United States is experiencing the most significant substance use and overdose epidemic it has ever faced, exacerbated by a worldwide pandemic and driven by a synthetic op**te (fentanyl) which is 100x more potent than morphine.
In 2021, more than 100,000 people died of a drug overdose. In Cook County alone, there was an estimated 2,100 opioid overdose deaths in 2021. It’s clear that the opioid crisis has reached a boiling point. Yet, people struggling with addiction continue to be blamed for their disease. The public and the justice system continue to view addiction as a result of moral weakness and flawed character. Medical institutions embody much of this publicly held stigma around people who use drugs, leading to shame and mistrust of a system that should be using evidence-based practices to help people overcome their disease.
As a country, we need to rethink the way we care for people struggling with addiction. The current, largely punitive, system has proven ineffective. So how can we reform it to promote hope and healing rather than shame?
Clean needle exchange programs have been shown to significantly reduce the spread of infectious disease associated with IV drug use like HIV and HepC. Other harm reduction services include education and access to Naloxone (an opioid antagonist used to reverse overdose), safe smoking kits, fentanyl testing strips, referrals to treatment and healthcare services and safe s*x supplies. These services increase knowledge around safer substance use, increase access to support services and minimize the harms of drug use - all while acknowledging that many individuals coping with addiction may not be in a position to remain abstinent.
If we want to overcome preventable overdose deaths, support for harm reduction services in the abstract is not enough. These services have existed for many years and their successful results have been well documented. Yet for some reason, harm reduction continues to exist outside the scope of the medical community. It’s imperative that we increase awareness, acceptance and financial support for these services, both in medicine and in our community as a whole.
