Harm Reduction Coalition

Harm Reduction Coalition recognizes that the War on Drugs has failed and offers an effective and compassionate alternative. Instead of stigmatizing and marginalizing those who need help the most, we aim to promote the health and dignity of individuals and communities impacted by drug use. Our efforts advance harm reduction policies, practices, and programs that address the adverse effects of drug use including overdose, HIV, hepatitis C, addiction, and incarceration. Recognizing that social inequality and injustice magnify drug-related harm and limit the voice of our most vulnerable communities, we work to uphold every individual’s right to health and well-being and their competence to participate in the public policy dialogue.

At Harm Reduction Coalition, we employ harm reduction strategies to promote the wellbeing of those who use drugs. Harm reduction is a practical public health philosophy that aims to reduce the negative consequences associated with drug use. Harm Reduction is also a movement for social justice built on a belief in, and respect for, the rights of people who use drugs.

At HRC, we believe the following are integral aspects of the harm reduction philosophy and incorporate these beliefs into all our programs and services:

-For better or worse, drug use is part of our world. We should choose to minimize its harmful effects rather than simply ignoring or condemning them. We acknowledge that some ways of using drugs are safer than others.
-Drug use is a complex, multi-faceted phenomenon that encompasses a continuum of behaviors, from severe abuse to total abstinence. High quality of life does not necessarily mean the cessation of all drug use.
-Health programs and resources should be non-judgemental and non-coercive. Drug users and their communities should be empowered agents of reducing harm and thus, have a say in the health services that they utilize.
-Poverty, class, racism, social isolation, past trauma, sex-based discrimination, and other social inequalities affect people’s vulnerability to and capacity for effectively dealing with drug-related harm. Social justice plays a direct and essential role in community wellbeing.

Harm Reduction Coalition focuses on using education and advocacy to promote the wellbeing for those who use drugs and their communities. We offer a number of educational trainings and capacity building programs that cover an array of public health topics, including overdose and disease prevention for people that use drugs, professional development for healthcare providers, and methods of empowerment for vulnerable communities. Our services have been utilized by health departments, recovery centers, syringe exchange programs, community organizers, and fellow public health non-profits from across the country.

We also utilize coalition building, policy analysis, information dissemination, and direct advocacy with policymakers to achieve our goals. We pride ourselves in allowing those who use drugs to have direct involvement with the policies that affect their quality of life. Harm Reduction Coalition has been continuously involved in national and international drug policy work since 2008, and importantly is the only U.S. reform organization that has a solid relationship with the drug and health infrastructure of both the US administration and the UN system including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and UNAIDS.

At HRC, we are tackling complex systemic, cultural, and political issues. With this in mind, our progress is on-going and will take much time, labor, and resources.

However, we are proud to have successfully advocated for the partial lift on the federal ban for funding syringe access services, leading to the expansion and improvement of these programs across the United States and reduced rates of preventable disease and overdose. In HRC's lifetime, we have held over 10,000 capacity building trainings in almost all 50 states. In 2018, HRC hosted its largest national harm reduction conference to date, with over 3,000 in attendance.