The importance of prevention in the era of fentanyl
National Prevention Week is dedicated to preventing substance use and promoting positive mental health. While substance use may not be entirely preventable, many of its harms can be.
Baltimore needs accessible methadone clinics, not harmful stigmas
Residents in West Baltimore, an area plagued with high overdose death rates, are trying to block a methadone clinic from opening. Doing so would be a disservice to those struggling with addiction.
Mayor Scott highlights harm reduction efforts in biennial public safety update
Mayor Brandon Scott on Monday detailed progress made on the city's Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan, which includes work to expand harm reduction efforts.
Baltimore's obsession with violence distracts from a more lethal foe
Baltimore media and local politicians will talk about gun violence whenever given the chance, yet overdoses take significantly more lives each year.
New data shows teenage drug use has plummeted. But how reliable is it?
The annual Monitoring the Future survey shows that drug and alcohol use among teens has dropped precipitously in the past 50 years. But it may be misleading.
Mayor Scott proposes 44% increase in substance abuse funding in 2025 budget
The proposed $4.06 billion budget, released Monday, balances a projected $62 million shortfall and allocates about $2.3 million for addiction and mental health services.
Mayor Scott talks overdose crisis, new initiatives in State of the City address
“Killing nearly three times as many people in our city than gun violence, no one in Baltimore has escaped the impact of this crisis," Scott said.
An addict's recovery-fueled identity crisis
“Once an addict, always an addict,” 12-step programs teach newcomers. Yet at what point does making addiction a part of one's identity hurt more than help?
Top Baltimore mayoral candidates mum on overdose crisis as death toll rises
Incumbent Mayor Brandon Scott and former Mayor Sheila Dixon have failed to address the city's overdose crisis, which claimed more than 1,000 lives in the most recent 12-month period.
Harm reduction is imperative to save lives in Baltimore and beyond, says researcher and author Sheila Vakharia
Sheila Vakharia, harm reduction expert and author of "The Harm Reduction Gap," spoke to The Long Haul recently about the importance of harm reduction in combating the overdose crisis.