Across the nation, we are seeing a notable uptick in legislative and judicial attacks on harm reduction measures.

These harmful policies look different in various jurisdictions. In Colorado, the Pueblo City Council recently voted to ban syringe access programs (SAPs), despite the overwhelming evidence that these programs save lives. In Philadelphia, the police have conducted “sweeps” of unhoused people in Kensington, which the Defender Association of Philadelphia has described as “a return to draconian and ineffective crime and drug policies.”

Media and legal observers were reportedly banned from the area and there continues to be a starkly elevated police presence. The sweeps are one aspect of Mayor Cherelle Parker's vague and punitive approach to drug use, which appears to rely on a failed treatment-or-arrest strategy. She has, moreover, threatened to cut all city funding for syringe service programs and proposed significant increases in the police budget.

In West Virginia, House Republicans have proposed a bill that would make syringe access programs unlawful. Though the bill has not passed, anti harm reduction proponents have been pushing for these measures since 2018 and the movement continues to grow. Meanwhile, the Idaho legislature recently voted to repeal their prior authorization of safer syringe programs following a police raid on the Harm Reduction Project, an organization which provided mail order sterile syringes, Narcan, fentanyl test strips, and other safer use supplies.

In addition to intensifying campaigns in the midwest and the South, these attacks are also occurring on the West Coast. In California, El Dorado County, the city of Placerville, and more local municipalities have instituted bans on syringe access programs. The Department of Health has filed a lawsuit against these measures, arguing they are in direct conflict with state law. Additionally, in San Francisco, Mayor London Breed has publicly stated that harm reduction programs are “making things far worse,” despite being previously supportive of harm reduction.

These attacks on harm reduction go hand in hand with the nationwide increase in police raids that target unhoused people, as harm reduction and housing are deeply intertwined issues. Studies show that this type of involuntary displacement often results in increased overdose related deaths and hospitalizations. Matters are made worse by the fact that the Supreme Court is likely to soon hand down a ruling that further erodes the constitutional protections unhoused folks have against these police raids.

Despite these coordinated attacks, the facts remain clear: syringe access programs save lives. “Sweeps,” raids, and other forms of involuntary displacement or forced treatment do the exact opposite. As anti-harm reduction sentiment grows nationwide, it is more important than ever to voice support for these programs and to advocate for policy that prioritizes the safety and dignity of people who use drugs.

• South Carolina has passed a bill banning gender-affirming care. The bill bars medical professionals from prescribing puberty blockers, overseeing hormone treatments, and performing gender-transition surgeries on people under 18.
• The Alaska House of Representatives has passed a bill that bans trans girls from playing on the school sports teams that match their gender. However, the Alaska Senate has said it will not hear the bill, making it unlikely to become law during this legislative session.

• The Biden administration has issued new regulations that will expand healthcare access for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. The regulations, which will become effective on November 1st 2024, are expected to cover 100,000 uninsured DACA recipients.
• Governor Gavin Newsom of California has rolled out major changes to Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid health insurance program for low-income residents. These changes create more robust social service programming by bringing in community health workers and nonprofit groups that provide food and housing.
• In Colorado, Texas, and Washington, D.C., the National Health Law Program has filed civil rights complaints alleging discrimination against people with disabilities flowing from the Medicaid “unwinding” process. Medicaid “unwinding” refers to the process of stripping away pandemic-era changes to Medicaid eligibility, which vastly increased enrollment. Relatedly, the federal agency overseeing the “unwinding,” Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, has extended waivers to States which restore coverage to some of the disenrolled.

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published new HIV surveillance reports. They show that although overall there has been progress on HIV prevention efforts, stark disparities persist. For example, the data indicates that Black cisgender and transgender women continue to be neglected and underserved in the HIV response.

• House democrats have introduced the Mamas First Act, which would provide Medicaid coverage for the pregnancy and postpartum services offered by doulas and midwives. This legislation comes amid a worsening birthing crisis, which disproportionately impacts Black women. Studies have shown that doulas, particularly queer doulas, improve pregnancy outcomes for Black, brown, and LGBTQ+ birthing people.
• The Arizona Supreme Court has agreed to delay the enforcement of the recently revived 1864 abortion ban, which would mandate prison time for doctors for providing abortion. The delay will last until September, so that the Arizona Attorney General may craft an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
• Senator Katie Britt of Alabama has introduced the MOMS (More Opportunities for Moms to Succeed) Act, which would establish an online government database that collects personal data and contact information from pregnant people. The bill contains gaping privacy loopholes that provide virtually no restrictions on how the government may use this data.

• A multi-billion dollar budget deficit in California has put the Market Match program in jeopardy, which provides food stamps recipients with vouchers they can use at local farmers markets.
• The Social Security Administration is set to implement new rules to the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, which will make certain benefits more accessible and increase payments for some. SSI provides more than 7 million people with monthly benefit checks.

• The Biden Administration is set to implement new measures that may expedite the deportation of asylum seekers that are deemed unlikely to qualify for protection. Advocates warn that the new rules will disproportionately impact Black asylum seekers, and further erode due process for migrants.
• The Biden Administration’s Drug Enforcement Administration has submitted a notice of proposed rulemaking which would reclassify marijuana as a lower-risk substance. This rulemaking would remove marijuana from a category that treats it as more dangerous than fentanyl and meth, and also create room for federal acknowledgment and research into the benefits of marijuana usage.
• Good and bad news related to HIV Criminalization in Tennessee. The good: the Department of Justice and Shelby County have agreed to stop discriminatory prosecutions of people living with HIV accused of sex work. The bad: Tennessee has passed HB-2043, which extends the definition of aggravated rape to include rape when the defendant is living with HIV. This bill will go into effect on July 1st, and the final language does not require transmission.
• There has been an incredibly expensive nationwide surge in police repression of anti-war, pro-Palestinian protests. As tallied by The Appeal, students have started encampments at more than 100 college campuses across 39 states. At least 40 prosecutors’ offices across the country have said they will charge students and their allies for peacefully protesting.