Newsletter
Harm reduction or drug war? Baltimore wants to have it both ways
Baltimore is reckoning with an unprecedented overdose crisis, but its leaders have failed to embrace harm reduction instead of punitive drug policy. Its reliance on drug-war policing is a recipe for disaster.
The Art of Relapse: Shame, Hopelessness and Suicidality
From the moment I used drugs, I knew I'd love them until I died. Yet I never thought I would weaponize them to escape my anguish through irreversible acts of desperation.
International Overdose Awareness Day is a day of remembrance — and a call to action
Tomorrow is not just about those who have died. It's also about those who are currently using in the face of an increasingly lethal drug supply, and what we can do to keep them alive.
New data on Baltimore's OD crisis underscores the absurdity of local response
New state data on Baltimore's drug supply and fatal overdoses provides the latest insight into the city's crisis. Deaths are on the decline, yet the cops have opted to crack down — and the drug supply continues to evolve.
Baltimore's windfall of restitution funds isn't as much as you think
Baltimore is slated to receive $580 million total in restitution funds after the city accepted an offer from the judge in the case against McKesson and AmerisourceBergen. That seems like a lot of money — until you put it in context.
Dollar signs and discourse mean nothing without decisive action on OD crisis
The influx of public discourse about Baltimore's overdose crisis has been a welcome and undoubtedly positive change. Yet without action, those who use drugs will continue to die at astronomical rates.
Harm reduction is not just a means to a sober end
Baltimore officials appear to view harm reduction as a means to an end. In other words, it's just a way to keep people alive until they can get sober. That may be the case for some, but it's a dangerous conclusion to draw.
Baltimore takes Trump's lead by escalating drug war after mass OD event
Baltimore is expanding an anti-violence program that hinges upon drug busts and lofty charges for those caught up in the mess. It fits nicely into a broader push for a more militarized approach to drug policy.
Drug talk: A lesson in decency and semantics after this week's chaos
Words matter. And in the epicenter of the nation's overdose crisis, the least Baltimore officials and media outlets can do is minimize chaos and halt their use of harmful rhetoric that demonizes drug users.
Baltimore's landmark opioid case faces another delay, but public hearings are finally coming
A judge has granted the city an extension in the historic case, giving it more time to decide whether to accept a significantly lower award from a jury verdict last year or opt for a new trial. However, public hearings are on the horizon.
BPD data makes it hard to argue that Baltimore's drug war isn't alive and well
Earlier this week, the Baltimore Beat published my deep dive on the War on Drugs in Baltimore. Nearly everyone arrested and charged with drug "crimes" is Black.
Baltimore's landmark lawsuit is flawed — and so is the public's view on opioids
Earlier this week, Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge P. Lawrence Fletcher-Hill rejected the city's $5.2 billion ask for abatement and reversed a $266 million jury verdict from last year. It shed light on the lawsuit's flaws, but there's more to the story.