Stop Demonizing Synthetic Opioids
While it’s true that fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, writers and reporters have widely placed undue blame on fentanyl’s synthetic nature for causing the opioid crisis.
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Harm Reduction
I’m Burnt Out from Practicing Harm Reduction
I’ve been giving out clean syringes, naloxone kits, and educating drug users and laypeople both here in Northwest Tennessee and online for about three years. Only once have I been paid for doing these things, which came in the form of writing three articles about laws that affect drug users here in Tennessee. I’ve also
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Why I Support Safe Syringe Disposal in Tennessee
Sometimes, I find used syringes littered astray in my small, rural, Tennessean town. Despite widespread sentiments held by residents, drug users aren’t to blame.
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Why Meth Is Adulterated With Fentanyl
We’re all familiar with sensationalized news stories about cannabis, cocaine, and other illicit drugs being adulterated with fentanyl. On the street, however, I’ve yet to cross paths with cannabis or any other drugs that actually are adulterated with fentanyl — outside of heroin and other illicit opioids, of course. I have never used meth, though
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Solutions to Northwest Tennessee’s Area-Specific Challenges
Note: Since the publication of this article, I’ve been made aware of two Syringe Services Programs in West Tennessee. Both are in Memphis — A Betor Way and the Memphis Area Prevention Coalition’s SafePoint. Northwest Tennessee (NWTN) is home to just as many drug users as anywhere else, though not nearly as many — if any — resources that
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Reasons Why the Illicit Opioid Market’s Participants Are Incentivized to Use Fentanyl
Fentanyl is an opioid that is much stronger than most opioids. It’s actually more responsible for fatal overdoses here in the United States than any other single opioid. Most heroin here in Northwest Tennessee contains at least some proportion of fentanyl. Whenever I use “heroin” in this article, just know I’m referring to mixtures of
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How the Deep Web’s Illicit Drug Markets Promote Safe Drug Use
Most of us have heard about the dreaded, oh-so-evil “dark web,” as well as the seemingly-interchangeable term “deep web.” The dark web is the collection of websites that require advanced, specialized configurations and setups to access. The deep web is simply all websites that cannot be found on Google, which includes companies’ in-house web-based tools
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Less Common Safe Drug Use Supplies That Your Syringe Exchange Should Give Out
Tooters One of the most commonly-distributed forms of drug paraphernalia by entities engaged in harm reduction is syringes. Cotton, tourniquets, and alcohol swabs are also commonly given out to help drug users, particularly injection drug users (IDUs), stay safe. Supply distributors often fail to include people who sniff drugs. Intranasal administration is a common form
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How to Use Naloxone
Simply having Narcan, Evzio, or generic injectable naloxone kits around isn’t good enough when it comes to effectively responding to opioid overdoses. Rather, the effective administration of naloxone in cases of likely or certain opioid overdose is more about being educated about such. In my personal experience, drug users across Northwest Tennessee (NWTN) are typically
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People Who Sell Drugs Should Also Be Included in Harm Reduction Efforts
We all love one-stop-shops. Illicit drug dealers who provide syringes, naloxone, and other harm reduction supplies to patron
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