Advocates supporting the “harm reduction” approach to Philadelphia’s drug crisis are opposing the new mayor’s crackdown on the city’s well-known open-air drug market. Destinie Campanella of Savage Sisters Recovery group criticized the use of the term “Zombieland” to describe Kensington neighborhood, emphasizing that the people struggling with addiction are humans, not zombies.
Mayor Cherelle Parker has taken steps to undo previous harm reduction strategies, such as defunding programs that provide clean needles to addicts. This move is expected to lead to a rise in HIV cases, according to the city’s director of HIV health. Campanella believes that criminalizing individuals for a public health crisis is not the solution, pointing out that the increase in opioid overdoses is due to more potent drugs, not a higher quantity.
Although harm reduction aims to minimize the negative consequences of certain behaviors, such as safe sex practices and supervised drug use sites, it is losing popularity in the context of drug use. Parker’s tough stance on drugs contributed to her election win.
Other places like Oregon and San Francisco are also taking steps towards recriminalizing drug possession and implementing drug testing for welfare recipients.
