Harm reduction needed in fight against addiction

Dear Classic City News Editor:  

I am a local social worker and harm reduction advocate in the Athens community, and I am writing in response to the recent article about a fentanyl death in a north Athens encampment. I appreciate your publication reporting on the devastating outcomes of some fentanyl use. However, I think it is critical to acknowledge our lack of harm reduction access in the community when reporting on these overdoses. Most are preventable.

Many people think our unsheltered find themselves in that situation because of drug abuse. Still, according to the National Library of Medicine, many people become unsheltered and then turn to drugs to cope with the situation. This is especially true for younger people. Our efforts to bring harm reduction to our unsheltered community should be a top priority for saving lives.

I believe the solution is to invest in additional harm reduction measures, including naloxone kits, tourniquets, and needle exchange programs. Shaming and arresting people have never cured addiction but have been the cause of many overdoses that could have been prevented or reversed. When distributing these materials to our vulnerable populations, we can also offer resources to help them begin their journey to recovery. Every exposure to help and support is one more step in the right direction.

Drug abuse has affected the lives of many people in our community. Some have lost loved ones or multiple loved ones. I think if you asked them if they would want another chance to reduce their loved one's chance of overdosing and dying, they would say yes across the board. We should say yes to harm reduction measures as a community as well.  

Katherine Bailey

Athens