Our Work
Health, dignity, & liberation for all
More equitable drug policies and investment in public health that centers people who use drugs are possible. Below is the work we’re doing to support people who use drugs and reimagine drug policy.
Overdose Prevention & Naloxone Distribution
We operate the only statewide community naloxone distribution program in New Jersey. We try to get out as many free naloxone doses as people want directly by and with people who use drugs and our loved ones. That’s because, when people who use drugs have access to naloxone, we use it!
Here’s how we get naloxone to the people who will use it, so it isn’t stuck on shelves or behind pharmacy doors:
We mail naloxone for free anywhere in the state, through a confidential phone line and online requests as the state affiliate for NEXT Distro.
Our street outreach team hosts weekly socially-distanced harm reduction community outreach in New Brunswick in collaboration with local grassroots and mutual aid groups. During street outreach, we offer a wide range of risk reduction supplies, nonjudgmental harm reduction counseling, and what we call “radical linkage” to community resources.
We organize a statewide network of community distributors, who are a source of naloxone & overdose reversal education for their neighbors and friends. Community naloxone distributors are overdose prevention rockstars in their communities.
We partner with mutual aid, health departments, inpatient treatment programs, recovery groups, and direct service organizations to integrate naloxone distribution into their regular outreach or participant services. We also collaborate to host “pop-up” overdose education and naloxone distribution events in collaboration with local organizations.
Training & Technical Assistance (TA)
We train individuals, community groups, and organizations on identifying and responding to an overdose with compassion. We also support organizations that want to integrate harm reduction practices (including naloxone distribution!) into their current offerings.
Here are our current training offerings:
Join us on the third Thursday of every month for a free virtual training on identifying and responding to an overdose. Register today!
We are able to tailor the following trainings to your group or organization’s needs:
- Introduction to Harm Reduction
- Overdose Education & Naloxone Distribution (OEND) for Peers
- Overdose Reversal Training for Providers
Training fees are on a sliding-scale basis — that way, organizations with a budget to compensate trainers can help subsidize trainings for those working with a smaller budget or mutual aid and volunteer-based organizations.
Policy Advocacy
We organize a statewide campaign for harm reduction expansion and equitable drug policy in New Jersey.
We also pay close attention to drug policy implementation —that is, how policies are put into practice. We believe policy implementation should be guided by and responsive to people with real-life experiences, follow best practices from other states and nations, and be transparent in how resources are being prioritized.
Community-Driven Research
For far too long, public health and drug policies have not been created by the people closest to the harms of racial, gender, and economic inequities and drug war punishments.
Community-based and participatory research is one of the ways we prioritize knowledge through experience and influence policies.
- Risk Environment Analysis to Inform Overdose Education & Naloxone Distribution — NJACTS in collaboration Dr. Amesika Nyaku, Dr. Erin Zerbo, and Michael Enich
- A War on Us: How Much New Jersey Spends Enforcing the War on Drugs — NJPP
- Preventable Harms – Injection Drug Use-Related Infections in New Jersey — Michael Enich, Claire Marie Kemp, Peter Treitler, Amesika Nyaku, Jenna Mellor, & Caitlin O’Neill
Donate Now
Harm reduction is essential. A harm reduction approach to drug use is the best strategy we have to end the overdose crisis, reduce risks associated with drug use, and affirm the dignity and bodily autonomy of every New Jerseyan.
