This is a call to action to stop the defunding and erasure of harm reduction programs across the United States. These life-saving services are essential to public health and community wellness—especially in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities that are disproportionately impacted by substance use, systemic trauma, and barriers to care.

Harm reduction is not optional. It is a proven, life-saving strategy that meets people where they are and builds a bridge toward healing, safety, and hope. Yet across the country, harm reduction organizations are being underfunded, discredited, and pushed aside—often while treatment centers, which are supposed to receive those in crisis, sit with empty beds.

Let’s be clear: harm reduction is the boots on the ground. It is the work that fills those empty treatment center beds. It's the harm reductionist who hands out naloxone at 2 am. It is the harm reductionist offering clean supplies and a safe space without judgment. It is the community member who builds trust until someone is ready to walk into treatment. Treatment centers are important—but they are only part of the solution. Without harm reduction, many people would never make it that far.

Across the United States, we are witnessing a quiet rollback of support for this essential work. This is not just a funding issue—it is a matter of life and death. And it is a matter of justice.

Organizations like the Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition (KyHRC) in Louisville are examples of what real, community-based care looks like. They distribute life-saving naloxone and fentanyl test strips, provide syringe exchange and recovery resources, and operate drop-in spaces that meet urgent community needs. Similar organizations exist nationwide and serve as first responders to a crisis that continues to evolve. These programs often operate on shoestring budgets, while for-profit models of care dominate public narratives.

We demand:

Sustained, increased funding for harm reduction services in every city and state

National acknowledgment of harm reduction as a central, science-backed pillar of public health

Support and protection for BIPOC-led harm reduction programs disproportionately impacted by disinvestment

An end to stigmatization and criminalization of people who use drugs or access harm-reduction resources

Harm reduction has saved countless lives across the country. It will continue to do so—but only if we protect it. Stop pushing it into the shadows. Stop defunding the people doing the most important work. Stop treating harm reduction as if it must fit into a for-profit system to be valid.

We urge lawmakers, public health agencies, and funders to recognize this truth: harm reduction is not enabling—it is life-affirming, community-driven, and necessary.

Sign this petition to demand protection, recognition, and funding for harm reduction across the United States.