Summary of Harm Reduction - A Mindset Shift

00:00:00 - 00:50:00

This video discusses the concept of harm reduction, and how it is a mindset shift that can help people who use drugs avoid criminal activity. It features a presentation by Angela Davis, from Mississippi, and Sydney McCoy, from Georgia, about their experiences working on harm reduction projects in their states. Finally, Jim Baxter, from Texas, is thanked for his work in organizing the event.

• 00:00:00 This video introduces Angela Mallett, an advocate for systemic change in the criminal justice system. Mallett has experience working with addiction and the criminal justice system, and is now a graduate of the 20th judicial drug court. She is also a subject matter expert for the opioid response Network and the Outreach director for the Governor's opioid task force. Mallett's focus is on fostering diverse community engagement across a wide range of initiatives, including Community discussions to train law enforcement and First Responders on harm reduction and trauma-informed responses. Her hope is to see everyone treated with dignity regardless of where they are on issues of addiction and drug policy.
• 00:05:00 The speaker describes their experience with addiction and childbirth, explaining that they turned to prescription drugs to deal with their pain. When their baby was born with a birth defect, they felt overwhelmed and lost. They went back to work and attempted to pretend the incident hadn't happened. When their daughter was five years old, she died in a car accident. The speaker describes their pain and loss, and how addiction played a role in their struggles.
• 00:10:00 The speaker discusses how the War on Drugs has caused great harm to many people, most notably those who have been incarcerated or have struggled with addiction. He explains that the criminalization of drugs is not a recent phenomenon, and that the current system is not based on scientific reasoning. The speaker provides brief history of drug use and policy, and emphasizes the importance of looking backwards in order to understand one's trajectory. He encourages people to reconsider drug use and policies, and to be more understanding and compassionate towards those who suffer from addiction.
• 00:15:00 This video discusses how, over the course of thousands of years, humans have used a variety of substances for a variety of purposes. In the 1800s, science got involved and created new substances like morphine and cocaine, which led to stricter penalties for those caught using them. In the 2000s, opioid use began to increase, and in 2013 the FDA increased restrictions on the amount of opioids that could be prescribed. This has led to an increase in drug use and addiction rates, which suggests that current policies towards substance use are not working.
• 00:20:00 Criminalization of markets for popular substances leads to increased violence and potency, as well as contaminated drugs.
• 00:25:00 Harm reduction is a mindset shift that seeks to reduce the risk associated with any inherently dangerous activity. The practice is widespread in the automotive and alcohol industries, and has been successful in reducing motor vehicle fatalities. It is also effective in reducing the risk associated with alcohol consumption, and has been shown to reduce the incidence of crimes related to alcohol consumption.
• 00:30:00 In response to their high heroin addiction rates, Portugal shifted their drug intervention dollars to prevention and treatment, decriminalizing possession of all drugs. Since 2001, rates of addiction, drug-related crime, and heroin addiction have all decreased. To address the other two categories of harm, Portugal believes that legal regulation is the only way to bring the market back under control.
• 00:35:00 Harm reduction is a mindset shift that focuses less on criminalizing substance users and more on addressing human issues that cause people to use substances. This approach includes access to medication assisted treatment, clean syringe supplies, naloxone, and fentanyl testing strips. Harm reduction is also about connecting drug users with other services, such as social workers, to help them get on a path to rebuilding their lives.
• 00:40:00 The speaker discusses the harmful effects of the prison industrial complex and how privatizing it has changed the way laws are made. They also discuss how the battle against addiction can be fought by understanding the bigger picture and focusing on the harm done to the people involved. Finally, the speaker shares a story about how the algorithm used by Tick Tock differentiates between China and America and how this affects the battle against addiction.
• 00:45:00 The author discusses how the rise of treating drugs as a crime, rather than an illness, led to the creation of the modern prison system. She says that this was done in an attempt to control communities of color and punish them for their behavior.
• 00:50:00 This video discusses the concept of harm reduction, and how it is a mindset shift that can help people who use drugs to avoid criminal activity. It features a presentation by Angela Davis, from Mississippi, and Sydney McCoy, from Georgia, about their experiences working on harm reduction projects in their states. Finally, Jim Baxter, from Texas, is thanked for his work in organizing the event.