Harm Reduction

Nearly thirty years ago, when he was 18 years old, Sy Eubanks had surgery for a knee injury he got while competing on his high school’s wrestling team. His doctor prescribed him opioid painkillers, the dangers of which are now widely known. All Sy knew was that he liked the feelings his prescription gave him and he wanted more.

A King County task force recently released cutting-edge policy recommendations about how to confront the region’s opiate epidemic. With ACLU-WA participation, the task force is continuing the county’s pioneering work in treating drug abuse as a public health issue, rather than as a criminal matter.