Pennsylvania Harm Reduction Network - PAHRN

10/01/2026

Who’s coming to Philly in a few weeks?

10/01/2026

09/28/2026

❤️ The Art of Dignity — October 27 in Philadelphia

Join PA Harm Reduction Network for an evening of art, live music, a DJ, awards, community, and harm reduction art — all while supporting the work ahead in 2027.

This night is about celebrating the advocates, frontline workers, people with lived experience, and community leaders doing the work that doesn’t stop at 5 PM.

📅 Tuesday, October 27 | Doors 7:30 PM
📍 Black Squirrel Club, Philadelphia

Come be in the room. ❤️

🎟️ Tickets & details:

Join us for The Art of Dignity—an evening of art, music, advocacy, and community celebrating the dignity and humanity of people impacted by substance use. Together, we’ll honor lives, celebrate resilience, and raise critical funds to power PAHRN’s work across Pennsylvania. The Art of Dignity i

09/21/2026

Other parts of the public health and social services clinic have expanded, including treatments for opioid use disorder, a new report says.

08/31/2026

For Overdose Awareness Day we walked the streets of Lansdale. We did street side overdose response training, drug checking and adulterant education. Special thanks to Rep. Steve Malagari, MontCo For-All and Montgomery County, PA for supporting the Montco Checks Campagin and doing Narcan and drug checking distro. Special thanks to Stephanie Barnett Jamison for being an amazing community leader. Reach out for more info on Montco checks or ways to get involved .

08/12/2026

https://kffhealthnews.org/public-health/baltimore-drug-test-strips-overdose-samhsa-federal-policy-harm-reduction/

Drug test strips are credited with saving lives, but a new policy will limit how funds can be used for them. Advocates of harm reduction strategies who responded to a mass overdose in Baltimore say distributing them will get harder. Federal officials say the strips enable drug use.

07/10/2026

06/16/2026

06/09/2026

The Pennsylvania Senate is voting on SB 866 tomorrow morning, which would classify medetomidine as a Schedule III substance. When the state scheduled Xylazine in 2024, advocates across the country warned that prohibition wouldn't stop the illicit market—it would just force it to adapt, creating an even more volatile and toxic drug supply. Now, lawmakers are preparing to repeat the same mistake instead of funding the public health infrastructure that is needed.

While medetomidine is a serious and emerging threat, history proves that scheduling alone does not prevent drug supply contamination or reduce overdose deaths. Instead, it forces the illicit market to adapt, introducing newer, unstudied chemical analogs.

The data from a 2025 Philadelphia study on 1,200+ ED encounters is clear:

1. Traditional withdrawal protocols are ineffective.
2. ICU admissions among affected patients have nearly doubled.
3. Severe clinical symptoms (hypertension, extreme agitation) require high-level medical intervention.

Our healthcare providers, researchers, and communities cannot manage a toxic drug supply with criminal statutes. They need enhanced surveillance, immediate clinician education, and robust funding for harm reduction services, including community-based drug checking and education. Take action NOW ⬇️

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/urgent-pennsylvania-needs-health-solutions-not-scheduling-sb866-hb2529?source=direct_link&