Students for Harm Reduction
Students For Harm Reduction support the activist work of people who use substances. In absence of a safe supply and adequately funded harm reduction and social services, the overdose crisis has become a leading cause of death for young people in Canada. This campaign promotes education about harm reduction on campus and safe supply systems, and works to ensure a more compassionate understanding of this crisis impacting Ryerson students and students across Canada.
We will work together to end the war on people who use drugs by amplifying student voices advocating for decriminalization strategies that do not punish people who use substances. The drug war has cost many, many lives and created a system in which society selectively criminalizes and incarcerates people who use drugs that are Black, Indigenous, people of colour, people who are homeless or poor, and people who have mental health illnesses.
Some of the principles of Harm Reduction are:
- Respect the rights of people who use drugs
- Commitment to social justice with networks of people who use drugs (Nothing about us without us)
- Dismantle stigma surrounding drug use
- Meet people where they’re at
FURTHER READING
https://library.ryerson.ca/dmelab/creators-grant/project-showcase-2019/ )