Harm Reduction
True or False: It is currently more common for individuals to die after smoking drugs than it is for them to die after injecting drugs.
True! This is partly due to the rise in fentanyl use (Kugeler et. al., 2024).
Why is polysubstance use so dangerous?
It increases the risk of overdose. In 2019, about 85% of overdose deaths involved a combination of opioids, cocaine, or methamphetamine. The increased accessibility and exposure to fentanyl is one factor in this statistic.
True or false: the more harmful the substance and method of use, the more targeted harm reduction strategies must be.
True! Because injecting and inhaling substances carry higher risks, the methods to control their risks have to be more specific.
50. Which is why it is so easy to overdose on.
What does it mean to "alter" a substance?
Altering a substance refers to changing a substance's properties or method of use to experience faster or more potent effects. For example, crushing and snorting pills rather than swallowing them.
True! Synthetic (laboratory made) opioids, like fentanyl, contribute to roughly 150 deaths in the U.S. every day.
What are the two most common risks of altering substances?
1. Disease transmission (injecting substances, for example, leads to a greater risk of disease via shared needles.)
2. Overdose (smoking, snorting, or injecting drugs means more concentrated doses of a substance are absorbed more rapidly into the body. Rapid absorption in high concentration make overdosing a huge risk.)
True or False: Individuals are always aware if they ingest fentanyl because its effects are so strong.
False! In one New York City-based study, more than 80% of people who inject drugs tested positive for fentanyl, even though only 18% intended to take it (CDC, 2024; NYU News, 2023).
What does "polysubstance use" refer to?
Taking more than one illicit substance at a time.