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Helping Our Children—Time to Try a New Approach | Pt. III
Last time we talked about a new attitude to take when dealing with young people's drug use. But in practical terms, how should people charged with guiding and caring for youngsters put this attitude to work?
In order to implement an effective drug-education practice, Dr. Rosenbaum stresses, four key actions must be taken. First, adults should use science to inform young people about drug use. Many adults have forgotten what it was like to be young; their impulse is to shield kids from the realities of drug use. They routinely underestimate kids' ability to analyze data, evaluate facts, and make responsible decisions based upon empirical facts them.
It is not difficult to include scientific evidence about drugs into traditional educational and mentoring settings. Such information that may be incorporated includes the psychological and physical effects of drug use, the chemical makeup and effects of drugs, social ramifications of use and abuse, and historical and political frameworks. This sort of information may be featured in a variety of school curricula and may be tailored to be culturally appropriate as easily as other material might be.
Secondly, Dr. Rosenbaum states, the importance of moderation should be stressed. Though drug experimentation is quite common and all manner of drug use pervades society, drug abuse should be resisted. "[Young people] should know how to recognize irresponsible behavior when it comes to place, time, dose levels and frequency of use." It is clear that the scientific evidence in a drug education program can provide young people with the knowledge they need to make informed choices for themselves. Such consideration of moderate drug use should also be made, she writes, based upon information about the specific health consequences of excessive use. Such consequences do not necessarily arise from experimentation with drugs, but from repeated, excessive and reckless use of drugs in circumstances requiring full cooperation, stamina, or focus.
Third, drug policies must address the potential negative consequences of drug abuse for young people; these negative consequences involve situations that might otherwise be rewarding, such as academics and sports. Within this part of informational caretaking, authority figures should also discuss situations in which mere drug use, and not abuse, may bring unwanted results. Dr. Rosenbaum uses the rules and laws that govern drug use in various places as examples. "They need to know that if they are caught in possession of alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs, they will find themselves at the mercy of the juvenile and criminal justice systems." In schools, it may be the case that "penalties for violating the rules present risks that often extend well beyond the health risks of drug use itself: expulsion from school, a criminal record, and social stigma – all of which make it harder to find employment in the future." As Dr. Rosenbaum has maintained throughout her booklet, this type of information should be used in much the same way that accurate scientific information is to be used: to let young people know the facts that will allow them to make appropriate, informed choices—not to frighten them.
The fourth parameter listed is the overarching message of the entire booklet: to place safety first. It must be recognized that the concept of safety should be the cornerstone, indeed the purpose, of a good drug education policy, for it is the safety of vulnerable individuals that drug education is designed to protect. Dr. Rosenbaum uses alcohol as a simple example of a drug around which very straightforward safety measures can be taken. The use of a designated driver and the reservation of safe spaces to drink are two steps that may be taken to aid the actual safety of young people drinking, not merely to aid the enforcement of laws and rules.
Some may argue that such safety measures serve only to enable young people's use. But the message of safety within realistic situations remains. Dr. Rosenbaum writes, "Will teens stop drinking as a response to crackdowns? Probably not. Too many say they will just move the party to the street, the local park, the beach or some other place where adults are not present. And they'll drive to get there."
The booklet outlined here provides an extremely useful model to help authorities such as parents, teachers and spiritual mentors to enact a policy of drug guidelines that works within the world in which young people live. Though it may be uncomfortable for older people to imagine drug use by those in their charge, Dr. Rosenbaum's brochure promotes bravery in the face of those ideas. As our history has shown time and time again, drugs remain a fact of life. Young people's experimentation with drugs will not stop because of the threat of harsher punishment or stricter penalties.
Given this unavoidable truth, it is far better to work toward the safety of young people using drugs than to attempt to eradicate drug use. Any program designed to work within a fantasized environment is bound to be unsuccessful. Far better is Dr. Rosenbaum's guide, firmly geared toward what young people face when making personal choices about drugs.
If you, like many, support a more effective attitude toward drug education, talk to those you wish to help; tell them the whole truth; ask them for their own insights; listen to their experiences without judgment. And most importantly, when designing a class or modeling realistic behavior or simply having a talk with young people, interact with them on their own turf–meet them where they are.
– By Maggie Maurer,
SPW Policy Intern
by Tory Howell
Helping Our Children—Time to Try a New Approach | Pt II
In 2014, Dr. Marsha Rosenbaum published a guide for parents and educators entitled Safety First: A Reality-Based Approach to Teens and Drugs. She begins the explication of her transformative, reality-based approach for dealing with teen drug use with a heartfelt letter to her own son. At the time of her writing, her son was about to enter high school where, she was certain, he would be presented with numerous opportunities for drug use. Because the booklet is geared toward the education of young people, the attempt to understand their perspective is crucial, as is the understanding that experimentation with drugs—by people young and old—is common, and always will be. "Drugs are an integral part of American life," she writes.
In this letter, Dr. Rosenbaum outlines the key ideas established in the rest of her booklet. She presents reasons for her son to heed her advice, all of which have to do with negative consequences of doing drugs, including potentially diminished academic and personal performance, as well as legal and institutional consequences that may follow him beyond high school. Notably, these consequences are things that can harm him and not things that may affect authority figures like her. Dr. Rosenbaum keeps her focus on the actions and reactions of her son, for it is within his conscience that the struggles with decision-making will take place.
The reasons not to do drugs that she gives may seem at first glance typical, but there is an important message within her advice here, and indeed, throughout the entire booklet: her continued reassurance that she is not offering caution because she wishes to appear wiser than he (and thereby fulfilling her own inner need rather than his), but because she truly wants to offer her own experience and knowledge as useful assistance. She writes, "I choose not to try to scare you by distorting information because I want you to have confidence in what I tell you."
The guide goes on to break down features of young people's drug use and the attempts that have been made to curb it, followed by an explanation of alternative measures that should be taken. Throughout the entire booklet, the focus remains squarely on the single most important thing to do in a successful preventative strategy: to tell the plain truth. Though adults in positions of authority assert that they, too, have always told the truth in their warnings, it is unfortunately the case that many abstinence-focused learning strategies tend to embellish consequences in order to instill fear in those listening. For example, statistics are often overstated for dramatic effect, again to heighten fear in vulnerable youth.
But the most grievous distortion of truth that often occurs in abstinence-based education is the widely accepted idea that all drug use is the same. Just as a streamlined, uniform set of rules and consequences is ineffective when dealing with individuals, so too is the simplified description of individual drug use counterproductive.
Rosenbaum writes, "prevention messages often pretend there is no difference between use and abuse…[or] emphasize an exaggerated definition that categorizes any illegal use of drugs as abuse." The interchangeable use of the ideas of drug use and drug abuse is harmful for several reasons. For one thing, common sense shows that all use of altering substances is not necessarily abuse. The world is filled with drugs that are both legal and used in moderation. Caffeine, Ritalin, Valium, alcohol—all of these substances have been determined to be safe in certain amounts, despite the fact that they affect mood and consciousness, much as substances such as marijuana, heroin and cocaine do.
Why make such a specious claim? Much in the same way that rules and regulations have been established to bind all individuals, so have standards concerning degrees and types of harm. It is a fundamental principle of reality-based drug education and of harm reduction that the parameters of moderation and excess vary from user to user.
Far more detrimental, however, is the effect that equating drug use with drug abuse has on young listeners. Rosenbaum states, "Teens often dismiss this hypocritical message because they see adults routinely making distinctions between use and abuse. Most observe their parents and other adults using alcohol without abusing it." Small wonder that young people view adults' abstinence-based messages as disingenuous; they are continually confronted with its opposite.
Though these are only two problems with abstinence-based drug education, they are vital flaws. Dr. Rosenbaum argues it is far better to approach the task with evidence-driven caution; personal safety should take precedent. Next we will discuss several of the ways she offers in her pamphlet that people can take this preferred approach when dealing with young people.
Helping Our Children—Time to Try a New Approach | Pt I
"Today's teenagers have been exposed…to anti-drug messages…designed to generate fear in young people and encourage them to abstain from alcohol and other drug use."
–Dr. Marth Rosenbaum, Safety First: A Reality-Based Approach to Teens and Drugs
Over 30 years ago First Lady Nancy Reagan popularized an anti-drug campaign best known by its catchphrase: "Just say no." From a political standpoint, Mrs. Reagan couldn't have more simply expressed "the" solution to drug issues. Not only was the action to be taken remarkably straightforward, the description of that action was, too. "Just say no!" A single word was all that was needed to vanquish the problem of drug use among our young people.
The simplicity of the solution strongly implied by extension that the problem itself was simple. Indeed, if a single action is truly the only thing necessary, perhaps people had made the problem entirely too complicated. America did not need to spend millions of dollars on law enforcement and treatment, or countless hours on education and mentoring. No, the problem was simply individual kids taking drugs based on their own choices. Very successfully, the anti-drug campaign sold the idea that making kids strong enough to say no was the best—and ultimately the only—answer.
Many Americans whose lives were not affected by the daily consequences of drug use, easily embraced this revolutionary step toward an end to the Drug War. These citizens began actively supporting abstinence-only education in schools, advertising on television, and programs in communities, youth groups, churches, and any other place where children were able to hear the message.
The result? After over 30 years of warning children to just say no, studies have shown no definitive correlation between drug-abstinence education and a reduction in the drug use of minors. Why did this program fail? And most importantly, after finding no documentable proof of any sort of success, why are we still using it?
Many people would argue that actions earn fitting results, and since those people understand drug use as a negative action, they reason that negative consequences must follow it. Furthermore, they believe that if the negative repercussions of drug use don't happen consistently, kids will sense a weakness in the authority dictating proper behavior and morality; and that would make the problem of teen drug use even more out of control.
Moreover, many adults can remember a good deal about incidents in their own youth—times when they made foolish choices and suffered negative consequences for those choices. Since today those people are successful enough to have earned some degree of authority, their logic is that a set of rules that worked for them (and indeed, for many others like them) must necessarily be the most effective rule for everyone else.
One attitude rarely mentioned is the motivation that accompanies this abstinence-only instructional model. To be sure, many have been able to resist whatever temptations have befallen them: overeating, cheating financially, and using drugs, among other things. Inside many of us exists the sense that "proper" behavior is often the sacrifice of some sense of pleasure. The conviction that those who were not strong or brave enough to resist these pleasures should be punished: "Why should some people get to do the pleasurable things that we didn't get to do?" they may think. The idea of unfairness often pulls at us and causes us to wish for punishments to others for getting away with something. But even within these deeply intrapersonal conclusions lies what has long seemed to be a given: that everybody on earth should live within and adapt to precisely the same framework as everyone else, no matter the differences in individual life circumstances.
One notable factor in all of these attitudes is that they focus more on the people unaffected by the repercussions of behavior than they do on those actively suffering those repercussions. Desires for swift punishment, for equality of constraint and predictable results stem from within those enforcing the rules. Such people are not the ones who will be directly affected by the policies they support; those affected are, ironically, overlooked.
This systematic uniformity has proven to be a colossal failure, as shown by the utter lack of effectiveness of abstinence-only drug education. And yet, in spite of this uselessness, the myth persists that, if one form of punishment proved to be utterly useless, surely a stronger form of that same punishment should do the trick. Albert Einstein once quipped that "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results." It seems that the policies of abstinence-only drug education have, over their years of repetition, entered the realm of insanity.
It is time for a new outlook on kids' drug use. It is time for a factual accounting of effective strategies that may be used to best help out youth. It is time to meet kids on terms that are realistic for them, not terms that the rule makers find most comfortable. It is time for authorities to put aside their fears and to face the problem of young people's drug addiction head-on. It is time to be brave enough to step into young people's own territory; to meet young people where they are.
And how do we do that? In our next post we will delve deeper into Dr. Rosenbaum's reasoning, and discuss views on drug education that should always remain in focus before beginning.
Sooner or Later, We All Intersect
Many of us remember when "running errands" was a bigger project than it is today. Even now, when most of us have free time to go and take care of stuff, there is a list a mile long: 1) Buy the week's groceries 2) Make a deposit at the bank 3) Get a new pair of mittens [it's December, and you'll be darned if you don't usually put the pair inside your pocket together] 4) Get the oil changed in the car 5) Stock up on thank-you notes.
Though this list is scattered, it is fairly representative of what many have to do on errand day. We used to spend entire Saturdays criss-crossing town, from service station to clothing store to grocery store, to the optometrist, to the bank.
I'll bet I'm not the only one who felt great relief at the emergence of a certain store which shall remain nameless, but that is in nearly every town in America, at which we became suddenly able to accomplish multiple errands in one stop. Suddenly, taking care of our lives became markedly easier.
I do not have enough space in this article to address the various arguments that have arisen about this store since its genesis. However I chose to focus on the store as a metaphor for a key ingredient in social improvement and harm reduction efforts: intersectionality.
Intersectionality is a phenomenon embodied by every individual. It is the unique combination of one's (often involuntary) espousal of multiple identities including those that are socioeconomic, racial, geographical, gender-based, and healthcare-driven. Put simply: none of us have only one identity. We ourselves are intersectional, as we are a unique compilation multiple perspectives and multiple characteristics.
Okay, So I'm Multifaceted. So What?
One of the most harmful things to real social progress is the mistake many of us make: identifying ourselves only by to one facet of our intersectional selves. In our quest to protect the interests of the identity that we have deemed most important, we often overlook other parts of ourselves that also have contributing needs. For example, if I vote in an Arizona election, I may choose to think of myself primarily as a taxpayer, and vote for policies that best protect my interests regarding taxes. But if I am an environmentalist as well, I may choose to subsume that part of my identity in favor of my identity as a taxpayer. Because most policies cannot reflect our intersectional identities, we end up choosing to represent only the part of our identity that seems most important to us.
Unfortunately, as we attempt to whittle our own identities down to one dimension, we tend to begin viewing others around us as singular, as well. Moreover, in seeking to protect ourselves and our families, we tend to identify others according to their characteristics we view as most dangerous. Thus, someone who is a resident of Phoenix, a mother, and a user of intravenous drugs tends to get labeled by members of her community merely as an intravenous drug user. The other parts of her identity that need support? They get swept under the rug.
It is crucial for all of us, we members of the intersectional human race, to understand is that we all have multiple needs and multiple motivations. But others who may seem dangerous to us must be treated as residents of the communities that we share. In order to make our state safer, we need to keep safe all of the residents of our state. In order to protect my interests as a resident of Phoenix, I need to consider all of the residents of Phoenix as part of the equation. Just like the famous store, our communities are made up of many different sections, many of which do not affect us personally.
When we are able to see all lives as intersectional and having various needs, we are better equipped to support policies and programs that may affect some of our fellow Arizonans, but perhaps not us directly. We in the Harm Reduction community seek to remind our fellows that programs empirically proven to help members of marginalized social arenas, help all of us. If we want to make all of Arizona safer and healthier, we must seek to bring safety and health to all Arizonans. None of us has only one identity; we must focus on the parts of identity that we share.
"And the King answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me." --Matthew, 25:40
Many of us heard this quote often growing up, and many have unconsciously incorporated it into our daily outlook on life. We try our best to be considerate to passersby, to those we meet in service positions, and perhaps most crucially, to those we feel have wronged us or those we love. Regardless of personal religious affiliation, people would overwhelmingly argue that this idea, resting deep inside millions and millions of hearts, is a tool that helps us—all of us—live in a healthier, more peaceful world.
But some aspects of our world seem decidedly unhealthy, unpeaceful, and downright dangerous. Such situations, circumstances and people are those that seem to have fallen victim to unspeakable evil; some things, we think, are so far gone that no effort, no matter how God-centered, will bring any aid or relief. But a collective voice of religious conviction is rising, reminding all of us—all children of God, that we need to double down in tough times and translate our faith into works.
The opioid epidemic is running rampant across America. People in positions of legal, medical and intellectual authority are testing any possible remedies for the opioid crisis that they can find. Some relief has been found, but by and large the drug problem this country faces is still of epic proportions.
Yet the barest glimmer of hope has begun to shine, as research has begun to show unequivocally that syringe service programs (SSPs: Mobile networks that provide users of intravenous drugs with clean needles) are helping to markedly reduce the spread of bloodborne infections (including Hepatitis C and H.I.V.) in places where they have been legally sanctioned. SSPs are not only helping reduce harm among those who actively use drugs, but also among members of the larger community, including law enforcement officers and medical technicians. SSPs help benefit the fellowship of men and women in which we all live.
Of course, at first glance the idea of offering clean needles to people using intravenous drugs seems counterintuitive. After all, wouldn't giving people the tools needed to use drugs in effect say to them, "Using drugs is okay! You have society's blessing to carry on in your misery"? And because overdoses, infections and deaths from injectable drug use continue, it seems to many that SSPs aren't accomplishing anything apart from spreading drug use. And spreading drug us is not helpful at all. Indeed, it seems rational to declare a War on Drugs; to declare a war on a phenomenon that has declared war on our world, and left many of us for dead.
But as people of faith, this is precisely the time to put our convictions to the test. We must momentarily set aside the fact that research shows SSPs to be an effective weapon against the harms perpetuated by intravenous drug use, and answer a deeper call. Even though our own struggles may not on the surface resemble those of millions of people grappling with intravenous drug use, we must remember how we have felt in our own darkest hours. We must remember our own yearning, our own defeated pride, our own crushed confidence. Most importantly, we must remember what it was like to feel the constant weakening of our last hope: that God would send His mercy our way, no matter the form that mercy might take.
We are all members of the same human family. We must recall the ways in which family members can cause us grief; many of us and those we hold dearest may have been devastated by opioid use. As Jesus advised, we must turn the other cheek.
Many religious leaders have begun to echo the sentiment that when fighting the spread of drug use, our pervasive spirit of punishment is wrong. Instead, they argue, the highest motivation should be "our religious principles of compassion, healing, forgiveness, reconciliation, and love."
Syringe Service Programs show us at least one way to adopt such attitudes while still effectively fighting drug use and the harm it brings. By supporting legislation allowing SSPs to operate legally in Arizona, we of earnest faith are doing something to help those who are suffering. Just as God's laws seek to save people from their own misguided behavior, so should our laws here on Earth seek to help—not to condemn.
As people of faith, our highest calling in this lifetime is to act according to the examples of best model yet to appear. To live a satisfying life that is orchestrated by God, we must remember to follow His teachings. To offer our support to those who desperately need our helping hands.
Florida Expands It's Miami-Dade Needle Exchange Program
On May 1, the Florida legislature voted 40-0 to expand a pilot needle-exchange program from Miami-Dade county to
all Florida counties. The measure will allow Syringe Service Programs (SSPs) to operate statewide, widening the distribution of unused needles, Naloxone, H.I.V. testing and treatment referrals.
We here at Sonoran Prevention Works fully support this measure, and we applaud the efforts of the lawmakers and advocates who have worked to bring about this legislation. Like Arizona, Florida is a conservative state; the similarities between the two states give us great hope that the evidence-based, lifesaving steps taken in Florida are possible in Arizona, as well.
Florida's lawmakers wisely examined the data related to SSP use in various areas, including in Miami-Dade county, where they elected to run a test SSP program. Unsurprisingly, in areas where SSPs have been put in place, rates of H.I.V. infection have dropped dramatically, the presence of improperly-discarded needles has decreased, and opiate overdoses have been sharply curtailed by the distribution of Naloxone (Narcan) and its use by people who use drugs.
Arizona and Florida are two of the states reported to have had the greatest increase in overdose deaths between 2016 and 2017. But while Florida's increase was a mere 5.9%, Arizona's increase was 9.4%. With no further steps taken in Arizona to slow the effects of the opioid epidemic, we can expect the death rate to continue to increase.
We at Sonoran Prevention Works wish to re-assert our evidence-based, data-driven support for the legalization of SSPs, the implementation of which is the single most effective weapon we Arizonans can wield against the deadly drug problem that grips our whole country, and our state in particular.
Legalize Syringe Service Programs: Protect Tourists, Protect Ourselves
In 2018, 43.9 million people made the decision to come to Arizona and visit. It is a safe bet that of those 43.9 million, the vast majority would cite the sheer beauty of Arizona as one of their main reasons for coming here. Not only is the rural landscape immensely appealing, but the action and diversity of our streets--in the cities, in small towns, on our college campuses, and most importantly, our neighborhoods--make Arizona a place to take great pride in.
But in order to preserve our state's beauty and appeal, we need to keep it clean. And one way to improve cleanliness all over this lovely desert is to institute and legalize Syringe Service Programs (SSPs).
SSPs are often referred to as "Needle Exchange Programs." They are outreach programs that distribute health and safety supplies such as unused syringes, alcohol swabs and Naloxone (Narcan), as well as offer guidance and referrals to other organizations that may provide further assistance and advice to people currently using drugs. Moreover, SSPs provide safe spaces for people to safely dispose of their used syringes and needles, thereby removing them from public areas in our communities.
SSPs are staffed by professionals trained not only in lifesaving measures such as the administration of Naloxone, but also in how to talk in a matter-of-fact, non-judgmental manner to clients about addiction, recovery, and other life challenges that may stand in the way of self-improvement.
Research has shown that in areas where SSPs are active, referrals to treatment options for people who use drugs have increased dramatically, and new infections of bloodborne diseases such as HIV have plummeted. Far from being an encouragement of drug use, SSPs have proven in other states to be the single most effective weapon against the devastating effects of opioid use--not least of all syringe litter, which is not only unsightly but also dangerous to the general public.
One of the most common concerns faced by people confronted with the possibility of introducing an SSP into their community, is the increase of needles in circulation; after all, it seems logical to assume that giving out syringes will increase the number of discarded, used syringes in public areas, thereby increasing risks of bloodborne infection for ordinary citizens.
However, Syringe Service Programs have had the opposite effect. In multiple communities where SSPs have been introduced, the number of used syringes that are improperly discarded actually goes down. This decrease is largely due to the SSPs offering, in addition to syringes, safe spaces for people using drugs to dispose of them. Moreover, if Syringe Service Programs allow legal transport of syringes, people who use drugs are more likely to hold onto a used needle until a safe disposal site can be found.
It is true that one effect of the opioid epidemic has been a noticeable increase in publicly discarded syringes; finding these items in highly-trafficked areas is naturally of great concern to average citizens, who rightfully worry about the accidental spread of bloodborne diseases that can be transmitted through used syringes. At first it seems that the obvious answer to these disposal risks is to decrease the number of syringes (used or unused) in the community by any means necessary.
However, closer scrutiny reveals that although Syringe Service Programs cannot claim to rid an area of used syringes entirely, the implementation of SSPs does in fact decrease the number of improperly discarded syringes, offering clients a safe place to dispose of used syringes and thereby keep the streets safer. In short, Syringe Service Programs are one of the few tools proven effective against the destructive community effects of intravenous opioid use.
In our Arizona legislature, a bill has come up for consideration that would legalize SSPs in our state. We owe it to ourselves to support the legalization of such programs, as they have produced empirical evidence of their useful impact. We Arizonans should take full advantage of the improvement opportunities that SSPs offer; we owe it to our neighbors and our visitors; to our tourists and our residents; to our parks and our streets; to the beautiful desert we proudly call home.
Maggie Maurer
Intersection of Faith and Harm Reduction
- By Maggie Maurer,
Syringe Service Programs: The Best Way to Protect Law-Enforcement Officers
Syringe Service Programs (SSPs) are comprehensive health resource points for people experiencing addiction. SSPs are an evidence based strategy for communicable disease and overdose prevention through providing sterile syringes, safer use supplies, syringe disposal, HIV and Hepatitis C testing, and referrals to treatment.
Unfortunately still many people believe that giving people who use drugs (PWUD) a non-judgmental place to care for their health brands drug use as acceptable and therefore must increase drug use overall. This is despite decades of studies that have shown SSPs actually curtail the use of drugs and increase the number of PWUD seeking and entering treatment. Moreover, SSPs save taxpayers thousands of dollars in healthcare costs brought about by drug use; an analysis published in 2014 showed that every dollar spent on clean syringes for SSPs saved at least six dollars in medical costs for the treatment of H.I.V. alone. Most notably, SSPs greatly reduce the risks faced by those fighting the opioid crisis in the trenches every day: law enforcement and first-responders.
Most people know that used needles are a major cause of blood-borne, infectious diseases such as H.I.V., Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. However, such danger impacts those trying to enforce the law as much as those who are using drugs. Statistics collected in multiple studies across multiple states show that on average, approximately one in three police officers has suffered at least one accidental needle stick, caused by I.V. drug users carrying dirty syringes.
For every accidental needle-stick, the cost to law-enforcement agencies is great, for in such cases officers who have potentially been exposed to Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B and H.I.V. must necessarily seek medical attention, including multiple tests for each illness that must continue for at least six months. Additionally, medication treatment must be used, including antiretroviral drugs to combat potential H.I.V. infection, and vaccination to work against potential Hepatitis B infection.
It goes without saying that other great costs of law enforcement's accidental needle-sticks are psychological and interpersonal. No one should have to bear the emotional weight that comes with the possibility of infection, nor should people have to carry the stress involved with preventative treatment for the period of time it takes to take such measures. Every needle-stick suffered by law enforcement erodes feelings of professional security and adds to an atmosphere of uncertainty in exchanges involving intravenous drug-users, those which pose the risks of accidental needle-sticks.
In 2015, Vice-President Mike Pence (then Governor of Indiana) was presented with the opportunity to bring SSPs into law, after the effects of the opioid epidemic had wreaked havoc on counties in his home state. Though at first he had grave reservations about such programs, he soon connected with law enforcement officers. They assured him that, though the idea of legalizing SSPs may seem on the surface to be counterintuitive and, frankly, radical, they were actually the best way to help their fellow officers prevent risks to their health and safety. As Sheriff Dan McClain of Scott County, Indiana said, "Before this, I never would have considered needle exchange. But once this outbreak happened, it became clear that it was one of the main ways to stop the spread."
Vice-President Pence changed his attitude after speaking with law enforcement all over the state. At the ceremony announcing the order to allow a needle exchange program in Scott County, Vice-President Pence stated, "I will tell you, I do not support needle exchange as antidrug policy, but this is a public health emergency."
No one who has devoted his or her professional life to helping those in need of protection and to making communities safer should be presented with the costs, stressors and dangers presented by the very crisis that they are working hard to eradicate. SSPs are the most effective way yet found to reduce these risks and therefore provide support to the law-enforcement community. We Arizonans owe it to our law-enforcement guardians to take whatever measures we can to help them do their jobs more effectively and most importantly, more safely.
-Maggie Maurer, SPW Policy Intern
What Happened With Last Year's Syringe Service Bill?
Despite widespread and bipartisan support for Arizona's Syringe Service Bill, House bill 2389 stalled in Legislature last session after being amended in the Senate. Republican Representative Tony Rivero of Peoria sponsored the original bill which would legitimize Syringe Service Programs (SSP's) throughout the state. The bill's intent was to combat the spread of infectious diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis through legal operation of SSP's, where IV drug users can obtain clean syringes and safely dispose of their used hypodermics. The bill would have defined legality regarding SSP's in what is now considered to be in a "grey" area of operation through the eyes of the law. Currently, and in spite of law enforcement's widely permissible attitude towards these programs, volunteers and participants alike are at legal risk and can technically be charged with distribution/possession of drug paraphernalia, a felony in Arizona.
Republican Representative Tony Rivero initially introduced HB-2389 back in February of 2018. The bill was supported unanimously in-favor-of and immediately passed in the State House, uncontested. Despite overwhelming support for the bill in its original form, the AZ Senate Committee on Government imposed an amendment, making it necessary to first wait for a public health emergency to occur before legally allowing SSP's to operate. Although there is no definitive explanation for the amendment, there is speculation that bill would simply not gain the support of Arizona's Governor, Doug Ducey. The bill was sent to a Special Committee for further discussion of the amendment and it eventually became overshadowed by a wave of political activity within the state such as the Red for Ed movement, and the fact that it is an election year. Subsequently, this is where the bill died. Meanwhile, Arizona remains exposed.
The Amendment/Remember Indiana:
The amendment to HB-2389 was intended to make it necessary to first declare a public health emergency prior to sanctioning legal operation of SSP sites. This means that Arizona would need to demonstrate a significant increase in "significant" outbreaks of infectious disease to constitute as a public health emergency, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. This very occurrence unfolded in 2014 in Scott County, Indiana where over 200 HIV incident cases were reported among IV drug users from 2014-2015. The Indiana State Department of Health initiated an investigation in early 2015 and declared a public health emergency by springtime, 2015. It wasn't until that point in which Governor Mike Pence authorized state officials to establish programs aimed towards prevention of new HIV infections. Pence has been a longtime opponent of syringe service Programs and he viewed the decision as an exception to his moral calculus in an attempt to balance his personal faith and public health. Consequently, Pence remains under a level of political and public scrutiny on the basis of inaction, which resulted in what many deem a preventable outbreak of HIV within his home state.
Backed by Research:
Syringe Service Programs date back to the 1970's, with the first government approved initiative taking place in the 1970's, Netherlands. The onset reduction in the spread of infectious diseases was noticeable and the concept naturally made its way to the West by the 1980's. Statistically and scientifically, SSP's efficacy in reducing the transmission of infectious diseases is palatable and evidence based, and even backed by numerous government studies. The Institute of Medicine, National Research Council concluded that SSP's "can be an effective tool for preventing HIV transmission and do not increase drug use". The Office of Surgeon General found "conclusive scientific evidence" that SSP's are an effective strategy for reducing HIV transmissions. In 2002, the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Science noted that "Improving access to sterile injection equipment is a critical component of HIV prevention" while also noting SSP's as being "highly cost effective". The report also concluded that SSP's do not lead to increased drug use, criminal activity, or discarded syringes.
Back to Indiana:
The Indiana incident back in 2014-2015 is one of many examples that demonstrate an overwhelming need for syringe service Programs in the US. The spike in infectious disease cases came without warning and it's irresponsible to think it won't happen again. The local government's position on SSP's and the subsequent delay in action to mobilize SSP's in the face of a public emergency was a monumental failure that sustained meaningful consequences for the community. Scott County's scar mustn't rest in vein and Arizona has an opportunity to reap the benefit of a hard lesson learned. syringe service Programs and harm reduction techniques prevent the spread of infectious diseases and save lives, respectively. A reactive mentality has proven to be ineffective and dangerous, while showcasing why it's even more crucial to not attach conditions surrounding them such as the need to produce evidence of an outbreak. The damage is done, and damage control is hardly a strategy.
Law Enforcement:
In a 2009 report released by amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS research concluded that SSP's protect law enforcement from needle stick injuries. Other key takeaways from the report included:
* SEPs reduce needle stick injuries among police officers and can help lower the number of contaminated syringes in communities
* A study of police officers in Rhode Island found that nearly 30 percent of them had been stuck by a needle at one point in their career, with more than 27 percent experiencing two or more needle stick injuries
* A study of Connecticut police officers found that needle stick injuries were reduced by 66 percent after the implementation of syringe exchange programs
SSP's and Harm Reduction/Stigma:
Syringe Service Programs however, are much more than what the name merely suggests. They are also the leading distributors of the opiate/opioid reversal drug, Naloxone. Also known by the brand name Narcan, Naloxone is an opiate antagonist that quickly counter effects the deadly symptoms of overdose, particularly suppressed or ceased respiration. Shot In The Dark, a Maricopa County based volunteer organization with 9 SSP sites throughout the Valley has reported over 5500 overdose reversals with the use of naloxone so far in 2018. Participants of SSP's can also take advantage of screening options for infectious diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis, while receiving results in as little as 20 minutes.
By focusing on the harm reduction aspect of today's drug related crises and epidemics, groups like Shot in Dark make a measurable impact on the reduction of casualties experienced as a result. Perhaps one of the more powerful features of syringe service Programs often evading recognition, is the sanctuary from stigma that so many users experience from the outside looking in. Maybe it's not that it goes unnoticed, but rather that it's just too multifaceted and complex to be commoditized. It's not a clean syringe, it's not naloxone and it's not an HIV test. It's safe environment for personal and communal connection and growth for people who use drugs.
Call to Action:
As we can see, Arizona needs Syringe Service Programs. Representative Tony Rivero will be reintroducing the Syringe Service Bill this January and we need to make sure our legislators understand how crucial SSPs are in reducing overdose and supporting those who have nowhere else to go for services. We need to act, raise our voices, and reduce harm at the legislative level.
Sonoran Prevention Works has numerous opportunities to get involved and advocate for SSPs in AZ. Check out their website at Advocate and get plugged in. On February 4th there will be an Advocacy Action Day at the State Capitol in Phoenix where myself and advocates from across the state will be deploying in teams of two to speak with our state legislators about the need to support SSPs. Join us and make your voice heard!
- Jay Dassele
Main SPW Office
340 E Dunlap Ave.
Open M-F 9:30-5
Tucson Office
2579 N 1st Ave
Call for hours
154 E. Merritt St.
© 2022 Sonoran Prevention Works. All rights reserved
About Shomari
Shomari B. Jackson, MPA, has committed over 12 years advocating for equitable change in Arizona. Shomari has led local, state and national projects directed at increasing space, access, and equity for underserved communities, prioritizing non-white communities. He is the 2021 recipient of the Arizona Innovation in Health Equity Award and is an Adjunct Professor for Northern Arizona University's School of Applied Human Behavior where he teaches Community Development and Sustainability as well as Inequality, Social Justice and Global Citizenship. Currently, Shomari leads the Community Health & Resiliency Program, a trauma informed community building project that develops Trauma Informed Communities in South Phoenix and throughout Arizona. Shomari's dedication to serving, advocating, and creating change is driven by a desire to reshape the systems that have led to the constant loss he and others have experienced because of health inequities.
About Marylin
Marylin Arevalo, MPA, MSW was born & raised in Yuma, AZ. She was drawn to SPW after working in various areas of social work where she witnessed how people who use drugs are systemically stigmatized by those who should be helping them. Utilizing her background in social work, program operations, data analysis, & the hiring process, her passion is to put the "human" back into human resources to ensure staff serving underserved populations are supported in the best way possible. When she is not at SPW, she enjoys practicing self-care by reading, gardening, cooking, spending time outdoors, & exercising
About Tonantzin
Tonantzin Carrasco is a proud mother of seven children working towards a bachelor's degree in Drug & Substance Abuse Counseling and Harm Reduction. She is empathetic towards individuals who are battling addiction due to her own experience that almost led to her losing her precious children. Tonantzin has been sober for seven years, is raising her seven beautiful children and is continuing her education. She is motivated to help others find a better life just as she did. Initially, Tonantzin worked as an HROW volunteer leading to her current position with Sonoran Prevention Works to help curb the opiate crisis in our communities.
Kat was born and bred in Tucson, Arizona. She has a passion and a heart for those who use drugs, are affected by drugs and who are criminalized for drugs. With lived experiences over multiple generations, history of incarceration and drug use, she now is fueled by her past to empower and advocate for harm reduction strategies and frameworks. She joins SPW with a desire to promote the health and dignity of individuals and communities impacted by drug use and racialized drug policies. She believes that harm reduction creates the bridge for chances at impactful and transformational connections. In her free time, she enjoys the two most important things too her: faith and family.
About Belle
Belle Fierro, MPM, brings extensive experience in leading, supervising, and developing harm reduction, disease prevention, and social service programs to the SPW team. As a queer woman of color raised in the resource-poor town of Berino, New Mexico, Belle is not only professionally, but personally invested in the successful health outcomes of minority populations. Her passion for harm reduction is fueled by her family experience with the war on drugs, and by her love for serving others. In her spare time, Belle enjoys spending time with her family, playing guitar, and riding her motorcycle.
About Kayla
In 2012, Kayla left her hometown in New Jersey behind for the Sonoran Desert heat. She holds a Bachelors of Science in Psychology from The University of Arizona and has been working for non-profits in Tucson since graduating. Kayla has extensive experience (both personally and professionally) with things like behavioral health, domestic violence, substance use, and syringe access programs. Her most recent job doing sex education, HIV and Hepatitis C testing ignited a passion for reproductive and healthcare justice. The intersection of Harm Reduction and Healthcare is where she is most comfortable. Finding the Harm Reduction Community in Tucson has been formative for her, and she is so excited to continue being a part of it as part of the SPW team! You can catch her obsessing over plants and aquariums in her spare time–and hanging out with LOTS of animals.
About Isacc
Isacc Garcia was born and raised in Yuma, AZ. Their experience of being a queer sex worker, personally and generationally affected by the harm and stigma associated with drug use and living within oppressive structures such as white supremacist delusion & capitalist patriarchy all inform their work as a harm reduction outreach worker. They have experience in various fields including hospitality/nightlife, agriculture, and the food + beverage industry. Outside of work they enjoy learning about anti-oppression frameworks and strategies from various activists and thinkers, searching for the best mariscos, DIY home spas, being a grocery store enthusiast, and napping. They believe harm reduction is a vital path to healing and a way to counteract punitive and oppressive forces in the world.
About Jalen
I am Jalen Redhair, Harm Reduction Outreach Worker, and member of the Navajo Nation. I have over 10 years of public health experience in Arizona and have worked directly with other federal, state and local agencies, including tribal governments. I received my bachelor in Public Health: Health Sciences at Northern Arizona University and currently in graduate school. My goals are to bring awareness and education about drugs and harm reduction to everyone, while being mindful of cultural practices and past traumas. My own lived experience with substance abuse (alcohol) and inherent passion to help people has lead me to SPW. I am blessed to serve the northern Arizona communities and look forward to working with a diverse group of people in a very special time in history. When I am not working or going to school, I enjoy time with my son, DIY projects and eating mutton with frybread.
About Lisette
Lisette Geraldo relocated to Arizona from their hometown of NYC in 2016. Lisette has 10+ years experience working with disenfranchised folks through her work in case management, advocacy and organizational leadership. Because she has witnessed and experienced domestic violence and substance use first hand, she has devoted her life to empowering folks who have had similar experiences to take control of their own lives and make decisions that are right for them. As a harm reductionist and Overdose Prevention Coordinator, Lisette hopes to provide the tools to destigmatize substance use and help the community get the resources it needs to support its members.
About Katalina
Katalina Olea's hometown of Nogales, Arizona is the reason for her love and commitment to raising awareness and supporting those affected by health disparities. She graduated from Northern Arizona University with her degree in Health Science, concentrating on Public Health. Her studies have empowered her to dedicate her time to helping individuals attain health equity by volunteering, internshipping and working with organizations who strive for the same outcomes. Katalina is proud and excited to continue stoking her passion with Sonoran Prevention Works as one of Maricopa County's Overdose Prevention Coordinators.
About Cori
A long time Arizona resident, Cori joins SPW with a background in mental health.
Cori has found her work with SPW to give her life long work in assisting peoples needs to be the most practical. Rather than "going by the book, where some bureaucratic board decides what people need, SPW lets people decide what they need, and we meet them where they are at in life, offer services curtailed towards what best suits what they want, not what we think they need."
When she is not working, Cori likes to hike various parts of Arizona, practice the art of woodburning, spending time with her family.
About Julien
Julien is ecstatic to be a part of the Sonoran Prevention Works team. Mutual aid and self empowerment have been key factors to where they are today. They started harm reduction in his own life to help hold down a job and keep themselves out of jail. What started off as a way to survive the punitive and biased justice system, became a passion for empowerment and autonomy. They strive to combat misinformation around people who use drugs, while helping empower individuals in their community based on their needs at that moment. Outside of this fulfilling work they enjoy dance arts, nature, and bringing their dog with them wherever they can.
About Camille
Born and raised in Phoenix, Camille's lived experience with disability and substance use has made her a fierce advocate for those forced to live on the margins. She is happy to be part of a rad community organization like SPW that is actively reducing the greatest harm that people who use drugs face: stigma. When not hitting the pavement to hand out supplies, Camille enjoys spending time with her rescue dog Grizzly, dancing around her apartment to EDM, and eating delicious vegan food.
My name is Elizabeth & I'm 24 years old. I am in recovery from, well, a lot of things! I became addicted to meth at the age of fifteen and would continue to use throughout jails, treatment centers, Mohave County's most wanted, and finally Drug Court. Through inclusiveness and support throughout my own life chapters, I'm blessed to be involved in the invaluable experience of helping others navigate through life. I am a hardcore mental health & justice reform advocate & my personal hobbies include collecting autobiographies and addiction memoirs, dying my hair bright colors, & houseplants.
Lauren Johnson is a Harm Reduction Outreach Worker at Sonoran Prevention Works. Originally from Southern California, Lauren moved to Arizona to attend Arizona State University where she earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Service and Public Policy with an emphasis in Criminal Justice. Currently, she is pursuing a Masters in Public Administration with a focus in Nonprofit Management at Arizona State. She also is completing a Certificate in Drug and Alcohol Counseling. Having overcome her own issues with substance use, Lauren hopes her personal experience will help her efforts to assist others who are in similar situations. Her career goal is to work in the nonprofit sector in the area of drug policy and criminal justice reforms. Her hobbies include horseback riding, camping, and taking care of her two dog, Truly and Waffles. Currently, she lives in Tempe, Arizona.
About Yezmin
Yezmin Villarreal grew up in Phoenix. They come to SPW with a background in media and journalism. As Operations Associate, they help create processes and systems to improve the internal workflow of the organization. Yezmin is proud to work at a mission-driven organization that provides necessary resources for people across the state of Arizona. In their free time, Yezmin likes to read, play sports, and enjoy nature.
About Francisca
After spending many years in the food service industry, Francisca joined SPW full of energy, excitement, and admiration in March 2021. Having been involved in community organizing and mutual aid efforts, they are deeply aware of the direct impact structural systems have on our neighbors. Francisca hopes to continue serving and learn new ways of serving with our community. They believe that harm reduction centered in a collaborative effort helps us all. Outside of the office, Francisca likes reading around town, cooking at home, and playing games with friends.
Ismael was raised in a family of educators who taught him compassion, empathy, and the amazing potential that people have. He graduated from Yuma High School – Proud Home of the Criminals – and Northern Arizona University with a degree in Psychology. He has been working in the field of Behavioral Health specializing in program development, substance use, outreach, and peer support for years. He has a passion for helping those who don't have a voice and need guidance as well as support in their everyday life. He strives to connect and make an impacting change in his community in any way that he can through the experience and knowledge he has gained. He is an avid gamer and movie goer, and loves to spend quality time with his family.
Miguel has worked in the banking industry for over 20 years. He is currently the Banking Manager at Arizona Bank and Trust. He enjoys travelling and spending time with his dogs.
Nathan was one of the founding members of Sonoran Prevention Works in 2010, and has remained connected to harm reduction ever since. After completing his MS in Counseling at Prescott College, he moved to University of New Mexico to work on his doctorate in American Studies. Nathan enjoys hiking, trail running, bicycling, making music, and spending time with his partner Morgan and son Cosmo.
Geoff is a leader on education policy, with a wealth of experience in advocacy, coalition building and electoral campaigns. He strives to tackle each problem with patience and good humor. Nothing is more important to him than being an effective voice for the causes that improve his community.
About Haley
Haley Coles is a die-hard Arizonan committed to achieving health equity among people impacted by drug use and drug policy. Her personal experience with chaotic drug use and the devastatingly preventable loss of people she loved informs her personal mission to make meaningful structural change for a more just and healthy Arizona. She is the Vice Chair of the Aunt Rita's Foundation board, is an alumna of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Culture of Health Leaders program, received the 2018 Leadership in Advocacy Award from ASU's Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy, and has provided consultation for the National Association of State and Territorial AIDS Directors and the CDC.
Mariana joins Sonoran Prevention works with a background in business and a passion for harm reduction. Her business experience has helped her build an analytical and data driven mindset, but she finds most motivation in community collaboration and mutual aid. Mariana hopes to be an advocate for some of our most marginalized members of society and help build stronger communities.
Valerie was raised in the border city of El Paso, TX, just south of the Rio Grande. She graduated with a degree in Human Services at the University of Phoenix. Valerie started her career with social services back in early 2000. She has been working in the field of drug use, harm reduction, and HIV prevention. She has dedicated her career to giving individuals the opportunity for success through education and leadership. Not only does Valerie have a passion for community building but the love of being her children's cheerleader.
Noah joined the Tucson Harm Reduction Outreach team in October of 2020. Originally from Phoenix, they have been involved in harm reduction work since 2017 when they began volunteering with Phoenix-based syringe access programs. Their work in harm reduction is grounded in an intense commitment to individual autonomy and self-determination. As such, they seek to promote the autonomy of people who use drugs through the overcoming of health disparities and by fighting for the decriminalization of all drugs. Outside of work, Noah enjoys reading, hiking, camping, and cooking.
Rachel Sherman has been volunteering and coordinating volunteers around the valley since 2013. They are driven in their work by a curiosity about how people come together to take care of themselves and one another. For seven years, Rachel has been building community with Arizona Roller Derby, not only as an internationally competitive skater with the Arizona All-Stars, but also as a coach, Member Experience Committee chair, and very loud spectator. Until team sports can happen again, you might spot Rachel dance-skating on whatever slab of concrete they can find. Rachel has only worn this tassel shirt twice in real life, and wow isn't it fancy?
Graeme Fox is a big fan of Sonoran Prevention Works and officially joins the team after volunteering and taking on various contracts over the past 3 years. Not only does he have background experience in medicine assisted treatment and operational work within a syringe access program, he is a former Russian language teacher and Fulbright scholar. His understanding of people who use drugs is grounded in empathy, lived experience, and a persistence when fighting for the rights of vulnerable people. Graeme is a highly driven harm reductionist who works to empower people affected by the War on Drugs and spreads messages of hope and naloxone in Maricopa County. He also loves large dogs, old books, and making odd music.
Mackenzie has a background in applied anthropology and public health. Having focused on infectious disease epidemiology at both the state and local health departments, Mackenzie now works as a public health liaison, connecting Maricopa communities to public health resources. In addition to a professional interest in harm reduction and stigma elimination, being a part of the board is personal for Mackenzie after losing her sister to an opioid overdose in 2018. She hopes to contribute to the humanization of people who use drugs and support safe spaces for people who use drugs to find their own definition of recovery.
Tracey joins Sonoran Prevention Works to contribute her experience in community work and nonprofit administration. Prior to joining the team, she spent the last few years working for an educational nonprofit that provides social and emotional learning for Title One students in the SE Valley. Her desire to join SPW is motivated by a want to support different communities and learn more about the importance of harm reduction. When not in the office, she enjoys traveling/adventuring, hiking, napping, and curling up with her black cat Orion and a good book.
Sherri Rhodes is a registered nurse and doctorate student specializing in psychiatry & addiction medicine. Ms. Rhodes recently passed her board exam and will work as a psychiatric nurse practitioner starting in May of 2020. She is the founder of the Harm Reduction Nurses Coalition of America, which is the first nurse-interest group in the U.S. Sherri is an advocate for people who use drugs and/or are affected by the war on drugs. Ms. Rhodes has personal experience with poverty, homelessness and harm reduction and works tirelessly to ensure evidence-based harm reduction initiatives are incorporated into standard medical practice. Sherri is honored to be a part of Sonoran Prevention Works and plans to use this platform to work with lawmakers and lobbyist to advance public policy and negate the marginalization of underserved groups while promoting positive change for the people of Arizona.
Tayler Tucker is a born and raised Arizonan who dedicates her time to realizing repro justice and health equity with her work in communications and media relations for non-profit and cultural organizations. Offering a curator's eye and extensive experience in social media content creation and maximizing engagement through inclusive narratives that center those most impacted. Tayler is well versed in being nimble and collaborative to break through a fast-paced media cycle turn moments into movements and currently gives her energy, talent, and time as Communications Associate for If/When/How Lawyering for Reproductive Justice along with volunteering and showing up for the community she calls home.
Miles Kent has had many different kind of jobs, but few have given him the solace and meaning he finds in the mission of harm reduction at Sonoran Prevention Works. Motivated by his frustrations with the criminal justice and healthcare systems in the United States, he joined the team at SPW to alleviate the problems and stressors that arise out of these systemic deficiencies. He first began his time at SPW in a temporary administrative position. He currently works full-time assisting with bookkeeping and administration tasks. In his free time, Miles is found playing with his cat Spinach, listening to club music from the comfort of his apartment, and cooking a new a recipe.
Danielle Russell holds a BS and an MS in Justice Studies from ASU. She is currently a PhD candidate at Arizona State University, where she hopes to expand on her past research and continue to study how the criminalization of substances used for personal pleasure has become a key issue and tool for social control, contributing to the ongoing legacy of racialized criminalization and mass incarceration in the U.S. Having personally experienced many of the harms that impact people who use illicit drugs, she is passionate about harm reduction and fighting back against the structures that impose these harms on the bodies of drug users.
Steven Levin is super excited to be a Harm Reduction Outreach Worker at Sonoran Prevention works. He brings to the role his experience as the child of a parent in long term addictions and his own struggles with substance use. Since his time in recovery, Steven has found his purpose in harm reduction and human rights activism. He hopes to advocate for and with people who use drugs to achieve their desired outcomes and build a safer, stronger, and more inclusive community where people's circumstances do not determine their access to health, justice and self-determination.
About Stephanie
Stephanie Karpas relocated to Prescott, Az from her hometown of Atlanta, Ga. Years of experience working as a Certified Medical Assistant inspired her to pursue a career delivering person centered care to those who need it most. Drawing from her own experience as a cancer survivor and person in recovery, her drive to humanize, destigmatize and empower those who struggle with chaotic substance use, serious illness, or simply unfortunate circumstances is unparalleled. Her passion for learning and continued education introduced her to the study and practice of positive psychology. Forever changed by the idea that identifying and cultivating strengths is a more direct route to success then a system built largely on swift judgments and cultural bias. She is dedicated to changing the healthcare landscape to include those the system has forgotten, and creating a more compassionate atmosphere committed to improving quality and continuity of care. As the newest member of Prescott's harm reduction team, we are excited to welcome her to the SPW family.
Deeadra started working in prevention in 2013 when she accepted a position with the Gila County Public Health Department as a Community Health Specialist working to educate the community on sexual health education. Deeadra left public health briefly but is so excited to return to community education with SPW. Deeadra spends all of her free time with her husband Steve, son Anthony, daughter in love Sally and their 10 amazing grandchildren.
Amanda Melcher: Person of the World, Member of the Board, a native Arizonan, and a former and future ASU student.
She is passionate about the scope and vision of SPW, and has served as a member of the Board since April 2019. Being amicable to safe recreational drug use herself, she appreciates that SPW models their outreach and programs on applicable data and science, providing no-strings-attached services to folks.
Outside of her efforts with SPW, perpetually working in the service industry has afforded her time and a variety of opportunities to contribute within her community through volunteering, activism, and political employment. Formerly a Site Leader with Read Better Be Better, she empowered youth leaders to help solve the literacy crisis in AZ. Ever political, Amanda has worked locally for campaign finance reform and against dark money. She is especially excited by citizen-led referenda and initiative projects, having personally influenced over 350,000 acts of direct democracy across various campaigns, including Save Our Solar AZ, Independent Voters for AZ, Repeal SB 1516, and Outlaw Dirty Money. In this work, she's proud to have worn many hats, from volunteer door-to-door canvasser all the way on up to State Field Director.
Amanda currently tends bar in downtown Phoenix at a politically-themed bar, The Theodore (of course).
About Kendric
Kendric Speagle is a seasoned healthcare entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience working in Pain Management, Opioid Addiction Treatment, Drug Development, and Clinical Research. Mr. Speagle has successfully developed and managed over a dozen health care business ventures in the areas of pain, addiction, and mental health. Mr. Speagle has been involved in the development and commercialization of novel medications for the treatment of pain, depression, and opioid addiction, by conceptualizing, implementing, and managing programs of research that support new drug approval.
Brogan Shell
Bianca "Brogan" Shell, MBA, joins Sonoran Prevention Works with a background in public health, local government, community engagement, racial equity, and food justice. She says her activism began in the third grade and hasn't stopped since. They are a systems-level, data-driven, civically-minded asset with a passion for designing more inclusive processes. She sees her work as both a means toward personal survival as well as a practice in building solidarity through support. When they're not at SPW, they're probably talking politics, taking a million pictures of their dog, and working on their freestyle stroke.
Alexa Melena
Alexa is an AmeriCorps VISTA member currently serving with Sonoran Prevention Works in Prescott through July of 2020. She is an undergraduate student of psychology, as well as a lecturer and researcher at Utah Valley University in Orem, UT. She brings an array of personal and professional experience to her role with SPW through her lived experience with Substance Use Disorder and other mental health diagnoses and working in a mentoring capacity to individuals recovering from SUD. She has a passion for harm reduction and its underlying philosophies of radical compassion, human agency, and non-judgement of peoples. Alexa has a great fervor for justice for marginalized communities and has years of experience in advocacy for LGBTQ and Latinx individuals. She lives at home with her fiancé, Aiden, and their dog, Bruce, and enjoys playing video games and reading comic books in her spare time.
Karen Broman, MPH, MLS(ASCP)cm is a public health practitioner, epidemiologist, and medical laboratory scientist with a passion for engaging isolated communities and folks who experience health disparities borne out of structural inequities. She emphasizes evidence-based interventions that mitigate the individual and community impacts of substance use. Karen brings specific expertise in working with veterans, formerly incarcerated individuals, and the LGBTQ+ community. Hailing from Minnesota, she was taught to nurture neighborhood health and camaraderie among those with differing opinions on how to effect positive community change. Prior to accepting the position of Overdose Prevention Coordinator for Northern Arizona, Karen served Sonoran Prevention Works for a year as an AmeriCorps VISTA Member through Arizona Serve of Prescott College. She is incredibly grateful to be doing this work in memory of her loved ones lost to substance use-related causes.
About Nicholle
My name is Nicholle Kennedy and I am the new Americorps VISTA member that will be serving with Sonoran Prevention Works in Phoenix for the next year supporting our volunteers. I am from Illinois and I recently graduated with my bachelor's degree in criminal justice at Illinois State University. Most of my professional experience is in advocating for and supporting crime victims and their loved ones.
Monica Anderson Snyder is the Chief Administrative Officer for Crisis Response Network. Monica recognizes that drug use is a complex, multi-faceted phenomenon and believes that harm reduction at its most basic level is designed to reduce harms to individuals, their families, and communities by working from 'where people are at.' Monica is an Arizona native, mother of two amazing humans, partner to the funniest man on the planet and proud daughter to parents who taught her to "love hard." Monica holds a Bachelor's in Social work and a Master's in Business and is a proud graduate of the Hispanic Leadership Institute.
About Turiya
Turiya (Tur-ee-ya) Coll (Call) is a Program Director at Sonoran Prevention Works with a long term dedication to harm reduction. She brings 15 years experience with HIV/HCV/STI and overdose prevention, as well as advocating for health care rights for pregnant women, people who inject drugs, people with substance use disorders, and other marginalized populations. Turiya has a BA in Health Justice, and has trained with the Center for Disease Control on evidence-based prevention interventions, crisis counseling, and trauma informed care. Turiya has recently developed a Harm Reduction Outreach program to focus on marginalized populations in Arizona and address their social determinants of health related to using drugs for better health outcomes.
Sarah's experience in drug policy began in Washington as a research assistant on investigations of drug trafficking and money laundering in South America. After a stint organizing congressional advocacy campaigns to raise awareness of Venezuelan humanitarian crises, she moved to Santiago, Chile to conduct research for a think tank on drug flows between Peru, Bolivia, and Chile. She returned to the US in the midst of the overdose epidemic, determined to advocate for policy that moves from a criminalization model to an approach based in health and human rights. When she's not working you can find her playing volleyball or eating sour candy.
About Michaela
Michaela joins Sonoran Prevention Works after being a social work intern with SPW for 9 months. She is a student at Arizona State University, graduating with her Bachelor's in Social Work in May 2019, and beginning a Master's in Social Work the same year. She has volunteered with a local syringe service program since the summer of 2018 and has worked as a data collector for two different data projects looking into the health and need for services for people who inject drugs. She has also worked in wilderness therapy for three years. Harm reduction has given her the ability to let go of shame she felt about her past experiences and she hopes to bring that acceptance to others in the community, especially as she helps structure the Sonoran Prevention Works Community Health Advisory Committee, which will function as group for people who use drugs to advocate for their needs and the needs they see in their communities.
About Deseree
Deseree Barbee joins the SPW team with a huge amount of hope, determination and an enormous drive to be a part of any positive change in the lives of all people. She come to us from opioid prevention where she spent time learning about harm reduction and the special needs of rural communities. She is honored and excited to join the SWP family and will be working as a Harm Reduction Outreach Worker for Gila County.
About Roberto
My name is Roberto Carlos Garcia, I am the oldest of four. I have a BS in Psychology and a Masters of Ed in Human Relations. I been clean from drugs (cocaine, mushroom, acid, ecstasy, weed, pills) for almost thirteen years. I stopped when I was twenty years old. I have worked in the behavioral are for the past three years. I started working as an outreach specialist then I became a Peer Support Specialist Trainer as well and a Peer Support. This experience has given me the inside to meet and work with people who have different addictions or mental problems and has taught me to be able to work with them in their own pace. Also, what I believe has helped me is that I have taken some courses in Neuro Linguistic Programming in Mexico and that has given me more tools to work with people and see what they need to make a change in their lives. I hope this experience will help me to keep serving those who are in need.
About Rachael
Rachael Sweet joins the Sonoran Prevention Works team with a long term dedication to patient care. She brings 21 years as a Registered Medical Assistant with the last three years working for the Ryan White Program of Mohave County doing coordination of care. She has experience with HIV/HCV/STI prevention, and brings with her training and certifications from the University of Nevada in Drug Related HIV, Hepatitis and Harm Reduction, and Suicide prevention. She is excited to join the SPW family and will be working as a Harm Reduction Outreach Worker in Mohave County.
About Angelica
As a young child, Angelica grew up in a tight knit community in Mexicali, Baja California. Angelica learned the value of being part of a community and just how much neighborhoods can accomplish when people come together. When Angelica immigrated to the US as a teenager, it was natural for her to get involved in the community and be of service to people in need. Angelica's passion grew when she had the opportunity to volunteer and later work for a non-profit that was focused on ending a variety of health disparities in the Latinx community in Maricopa County. Angelica brings with her over 12 years of experience in the HIV/HCV/STI prevention field and is thrilled to be a part of the SPW family. Angelica's personal and professional goals are to be a supportive presence in people's journey to a healthier life.
About Tripti
Tripti Choudhury comes to Sonoran Prevention works as one of our new Harm Reduction Outreach Workers for Maricopa County. She realized her passion for people who use substances through her personal experience and loved ones lost along the way. Tripti was raised in New Jersey and moved to Arizona over 3 years ago to pursue the completion of her counseling degree at Grand Canyon University. Over the brief period of time in the southwest, her passion became her drive and every week she brought clothing, food and water to help at various parks surrounding the Phoenix area because she lives through the harm reduction values of "meeting people where they are at." She lives in the east valley and brings her strong east coast voice to stand up for people who often feel isolated through substance use.
About Enrique
Enrique joins SPW eager to apply his lived experience in service to others in his community. He brings with him a high capacity to relate and engage with participants "where they are at", and embodies the ethos of Harm Reduction through a belief that we are all equal, worthy, and deserving of the respect and care that Sonoran Prevention Works exist to deliver to the state of Arizona.
About Monique
Monique joins SPW with a background in public health, education and prevention. She is a first generation American driven to support marginalized folx and communities within Arizona. Although she will be caravaning around six counties of Southern Arizona with her HROW counterpart, you can find her in Tucson on her time off jamming at one of the local dance studios.
Harm reduction is very close to my heart. I have lost close family and friends to the effects of using drugs and suicide. Prior to SPW I worked in administrative medical roles at a naturopathic medical clinic as well as a chiropractic assistant and massage therapist. I myself have been in recovery for 5 years. Outside of SPW, I enjoy mini golfing with my 4-year-old and teaching my 19-year-old how to drive.
Wednesday, January 9
South Mountain Community Library
7050 S 24th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85042 (Room TBC)
7-7:30 *This is just for people who use drugs
2431 E Van Buren St, Phoenix, AZ 85006
Mohave Community College Neal Campus
1971 Jagerson Ave., Kingman, AZ 86409
Saturday, February 2
Phoenix AZ Advocacy Day Trainings
Burton Barr Public Library
4th Floor Lecture Room
1221 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85004
9:30am-11:00am – Training
11:30am-1:00pm – Training
1:00pm-2:00pm – Drop in Story Framing Workshop
This is where we will work one on one with individuals or teams on how they would like to share their story and message. Drop on in!
Receiving Individual Income Tax Credit by Supporting Sonoran Prevention Works
Contributions to Qualifying Charitable Organizations
An individual income tax credit is available for contributions that provide assistance to the working poor. The credit is available only to individuals. You report the name of the Qualifying Charitable Organization you donated to as well as the dollar amount of your donation to the Department of Revenue on Form 321. You must also total your nonrefundable individual tax credits on Form 301 and include all applicable forms when you file your tax return.
Maximum Credit Amount for Contributions
Taxpayers filing as "single" and "head of household" status may claim a maximum credit of $400. Taxpayers filing as "married filing separate" may claim a maximum credit of $400. Taxpayers that file as "married filing joint" may claim a maximum credit of $800.
Only Allowed to Claim the Contribution as a tax credit, not a deduction
You may only claim a tax credit for your charitable contribution on your Arizona state return if the organization you donated to is considered a Qualifying Charitable Organization. A complete listing of Qualifying Charitable Organizations is published on the Department of Revenue's website. Donations made to organizations not listed on the department's published website are typically allowable as deductions. You cannot claim both a deduction and a credit for the same charitable contribution on your Arizona return.
Period for Making Eligible Contributions
Beginning with the tax year (month of January for each year) credit eligible contributions made to a Qualifying Charitable Organization that are made on or before what is considered the last day to file taxes in April (usually between the 15th – 20th day of the fourth month following the close of the taxable year) may be applied to either the current or the preceding taxable year and is considered to have been made on the last day of that taxable year.
About Sasia
Sasia Reyes, the Development Coordinator for Sonoran Prevention Works, is responsible for researching and developing grants and fundraising initiatives to drive and support SPW's continued growth and community impact. Sasia studied English Literature and Nonprofit Management at Arizona State University. She is committed to providing compassion, respect and dignity to all people in Arizona. Outside of her professional work, Sasia enjoys reading and discussing Renaissance revenge tragedy lit, spending time with her family and expanding her indoor plant collection.
About Juliana
Juliana has been active in harm reduction education for over a decade, training with MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) in crisis intervention and integration care, and offering workshops in safer drug use at music festivals. She covered the global drug war for a UK publication and volunteered on the Operation Identification project to identify the remains of Central American refugees who died in the desert fleeing to the U.S. She has a degree in anthropology and her academic work focuses on traditional plant ceremonies and intergenerational/historical trauma. As a Coahuiltecan and Maya descendant, her advocacy centers on the disproportionate impact of the drug war on Indigenous communities and improving access to culturally-sensitive healthcare.
About Courteney
Courteney Wettemann joins Sonoran Prevention Works as a dedicated advocate for health equity and dignity for people who use drugs. She has worked as a volunteer throughout Arizona doing community outreach, providing Naloxone supplies and education, and supporting syringe access programs. She draws on personal experience to inform her work with people at risk for overdose and their communities. Courteney is currently pursuing a degree in public health with an emphasis in sexual and reproductive health. If you can't find her in the office, she is probably out exploring with her dog, Rascal.
About Maria
Maria Jagles joins Sonoran Prevention Works with a passion for nurturing healthier communities through empowerment and advocacy. She brings to SPW 12 years of experience in HIV/STI/HCV prevention, testing & education, and linkage to care for individuals experiencing homelessness, domestic violence, mental illness, substance use disorder, as well as those in transactional sex work. She's facilitated CDC evidence-based prevention interventions and has conducted community outreach throughout Maricopa County. She was born and raised in the small mining town of Globe-Miami, AZ and currently resides in Tempe, AZ. She enjoys the arts, soul-moving music, and a good laugh. Maria continues to be dedicated to enriching the lives of marginalized communities and is excited to be joining SPW on this crucial mission.
About Christopher
Christopher Lee Thomas AA, C.P.S.S, F.P.S.S,is a survivor of the War on Drugs and a compassionate advocate for evidence based, harm-reduction strategies that improve the quality of life for people who use drugs and their families. Christopher uses his background in substance use, recovery, peer support, and harm reduction work to identify and navigate peer networks so as to better engage stigmatized individuals into services such as substance abuse treatment, syringe access, and overdose prevention. He was most recently managing the SAP at SAAF as a Sr. Health Education Specialist while also conducting HIV/HCV testing, linking clients to care, providing overdose prevention and distributing naloxone, and leading cohorts of the SHIELD evidenced-based intervention. Christopher is the Southern Arizona Overdose Prevention Coordinator at Sonoran Prevention Works
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Jill Bird joins the Sonoran Prevention Works team with many years of interest in SPW and overdose prevention work. She comes to SPW with personal experience having lost a life partner, several family members, and close friends to overdose. Jill has worked in the Accounting/Bookkeeping and administrative fields for seven years, most recently having spent time operating a business that focuses on botanical alternatives for wellness and Ayurvedic medicine. Jill has wanted to be involved with SPW for several years and is excited to help implement our mission as our Office Administrator.
About Dusti
Dusti Yamaguchi is your friendly neighborhood harm-reductionist in Kingman, Arizona. Dusti is certified in AcuDetox and Peer Support. She enjoys drumming and hiking, and has lived in Kingman since 2011.
Denise Wisdom considers herself a "Jill of All Trades". Arriving in the Valley of the Sun from Colorful Colorado, with over 20 years fund development, operational, and programmatic experience in community-based organizations, Denise is dedicated to working with nonprofits to strengthen programs and services, build resource capacity, and create a stronger community impact via grant writing, fundraising, and relationship-building. She possesses a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from Millikin University and a Master's Degree in Public Administration with a certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Denise balances work with playful life endeavors of sight-seeing travel, smooth jazz concerts, and cultural festivals.
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Nathan Leach has helped cultivate a variety of community-based projects in Phoenix, including a local bike co-op that provides resources and education to community members who rely on bicycles as their main form of transportation. In 2011 Nathan co-founded the first syringe access program in Maricopa County and in 2016 he completed a master's level clinical internship focusing on harm reduction counseling in rural areas. He is passionate about the integration of critical theory and creative processes within psychotherapeutic modalities, and hopes to bridge the gap between radical sociological research and counseling approaches while utilizing creative, art-based interventions.
Patrick received a BA in Creative Writing in 2001 and a BS in Psychology in 2013. Entering the behavioral health field in 2014 with La Frontera in Tucson, he worked with the GMH and SMI population for almost a year before moving to the Hope Center, his agency's methadone clinic in January, 2015. In addition to duties as a recovery coach, Patrick has spearheaded his clinic's naloxone prescription program, the first such program at a behavioral health agency in the state of Arizona. After successful implementation, Patrick worked to expand the program to all of La Frontera's outpatient clinics. Patrick also works as a volunteer with Sonoran Prevention Works.
About Thoi
Thoi was born and raised in the Valley of the Sun, and has a deep love and strong connection to the people and places he grew up with. His experiences living and working in Phoenix have informed his engagement in community organizing which began in 2012. He hopes to work alongside his neighbors to build powerful solutions to the problems we face, by doing what needs to be done when and where it is needed. Thoi's professional experience includes stints as a dishwasher, bank teller, cook, street advertiser, and freelance photographer. He is a second-generation Asian American and in his spare time he likes to grow, cook, and eat food.
About Layal
(@Layalzebub) is a third culture kid who has spent years practicing the fine art of parachuting into projects as the need for her skills arises. She takes an intersectional approach to her work in immigrant rights and public health and does not shy away from any cause where injustice is present and her contribution is welcomed and necessary. Her experience lies in traditional and digital communications using all mediums from her own voice to videos to writing to tweeting, assembling audience-specific information for delivery in an infinite amount of ways. An infinitely curious researcher and an obsessive collector and assembler of information, she is often seen managing projects, playing a supportive role in the background and amplifying the voices of those directly affected by injustice in her community. Fluent in English & Arabic, knows a few words in Spanish & Armenian.
About Brendan
Sonoran Prevention Works' program is close to Brendan's heart. Many friends and loved ones have been affected by the disease of addiction and he enthusiastically supports the program in its growth and development. Brendan began his career as an Auditor at Deloitte & Touche LLP, supervising audit teams for public and non-public entities. Most recently Brendan has been worked as a Financial Controller. As Treasurer of Sonoran Prevention Works Brendan is involved in overseeing the management and reporting of the organizations finances, Brendan graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration in Accounting, earning a Master of Accountancy from the same institution the following year. He is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the state of Arizona.
About Calicia
Calicia White is the Program Director for the Ebony House Outreach Department, a division of Ebony House, Inc. that works to increase health outcomes for African Americans who are HIV-positive and reduce new diagnoses in the community. Calicia's goal is to eliminate the stigma of HIV in the African American community to ultimately eliminate HIV transmission. Calicia has been a part of the Arizona community for over 30 years and works tirelessly to improve the health status of Arizonans. Mother of a wonderful son and member of the community she services, Calicia loves her family, friends and community. A graduate of Keller Graduate School, Calicia earned her Master's in Public Administration Health Services Management and is dedicated to decreasing health disparities in the African American community as a means to increased lifestyle.
About Zeenat
Zeenat Hasan is a learner and an amateur anthropologist who looks for innovative and mundane ways to make healthcare equitable. Her interests include ethics and human rights, immigration/migration issues, humanitarian aid, activism, reproductive justice, racial justice, and population health. She has held jobs/volunteer positions as a/n helper in her mother's dry cleaning/tailoring businesses, receptionist at doctors' offices, volunteer for hospital radiation department, brain trauma rehab assistant, bio lab instructor, program/policy director, co-chair for Aim for Equity National Coalition, Co-founder of Arizona Chapter of the National Asian American Women's Forum, and most recently, mother of one. The last of these has reinforced her drive to create equitable and ethical spaces in healthcare and the systems that support it. Zeenat moved to the valley in 2004 and stayed because of the beauty and vastness of the Arizona desert and the open community of people she found here.
About Stacey
Stacey Cope comes to Sonoran Prevention Works with a fierce passion to improve the lives of Arizonans who use drugs and their loved ones. Stacey has enacted her dedication to harm reduction in the work she has done as an advocate for survivors of domestic and sexual violence, supporting formerly incarcerated youth living in group homes, HIV and Hepatitis C testing, education and linkage to care, and in serving one of the top few syringe access programs in the state. Stacey is a fourth generation Arizonan. She lives in Tucson with her wife and two dogs, where they spend most of their time on Mt. Lemmon.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Support your cyclocross with registrtion and lap timing on your site.
Do you love cyclocross? Are you looking for information support of your event or series? Especially lap timing and live broadcast of the real-time results are specific and ORGSU offers an easy and cheap solution for you.
What a beautiful sports philosophy: the tough work under the viewers pressure all the time on a short lap. Cyclocross is probably the most exciting cycling discipline offering surprises nearly to the very end of the race.
ORGSU offers a possibility to parametrize up to 60 laps into one track. Refer to the event organizer handbook for more details.
ORGSU has its Web Service API on the internet to read your RFID timing data. In real time, these data will be used for the live broadcast on two different outputs of your race. Both applets with these features can be installed onto your website and/or on the site of your sponsor. The live results bring about the same amount of visitors as the number of athletes is.
Do not hesitate to ask us for free assistance with your swim run today. Do your event organizer registration and launch your event. Even more, you may test ORGSU for free including the BIBs assignment and timing. Finally, you can delete all test timing data and prepare your crew for race day. Help for your registration is here.


Your decision to opt for abroad was based on the fact that you are going to receive a quality education at an affordable cost. You need to be focused on the basic purpose why you are proceeding to abroad. The fees are 4-5 times more expensive than those of Russia; it is for education and not for a holiday.
While the universities in abroad offer you the best possible conditions in terms of accommodation, .In Ukraine and CIS countries. You should, therefore, consider that your decision for preceding to Russia it would be unwise to compare the same with those in USA and Australia etc. because it would give you a lifetime edge in terms of quality.
Even today, many students proceeding to Russia, Ukraine, and CIS countries are taken in by the glamour of studying abroad. Make the most of the quality education that is being imparted there, so that you would have a value added education.
Apart from the other preparations that you need to undertake to plan your trip to abroad .You should use the spare time to be confident mentally and emotionally. This you could do so with reading material on positive attitude and self help books.
Discipline is one of the most important commodities that you are going to require when you are in abroad. You need to realize that you would not be having your parents to caution and correct you if you go wrong.
It would be your own decision and doing. Russia, Ukraine and CIS countries is like any other European country and at a young age you may be prone to temptations. Therefore a steady discipline minds unable you to resist such temptations and focus you with the purpose of being in Russia.
Time management is also a very important factor. You would need to plan out your activities way ahead so that you do not miss out on any important activities.
Remember, your family cares for you and your future and therefore you are in abroad. There have been sacrifices done your family to ensure that you proceed to abroad and obtain a quality education of your choice. Update them about your activities in abroad in terms of education and progress. This would help you to be guided by your family members who are more matured, should you be going wrong in your decisions.
2- Make photocopies of EVERYTHING.
3- All important documents should be photocopied and the copies kept in separate places. This includes passport, credit cards (front and back), drivers licence, travellers cheques serial numbers, travel insurance and airline tickets. Make more than one copy and leave one set at home.
4- When travelling ensure you have two forms of ID with you at all times, one of which should have a photo ID.
5- Loosing luggage happens when travelling, it can happen to anyone at any time. Travelling to Russia, you may encounter this problem sooner than you expected! Always pack a change of clothes in your carry on bag, or the items you could not do without for a night, possibly a few days. This PARTICULARLY applies to items like prescription medicine. Always pack your valuables (Camera, jewellery etc.) in your carry on bag.
6- Ensure your carry on bag is airline friendly, this means no scissors or cutting implements of any kind, no metal nail files and no Swiss army knife.
2- Always try to travel light. You can move more quickly and will be more likely to have a free hand. You will be also less tired and less likely to set the luggage down and leave it unattended.
4- If you wear glasses, take an extra pair. Bring them and any medicines in your carry on bag.
5- To avoid problems when passing through customs, keep medicines in their original, labelled containers. Bring copies of your prescription and the generic name of the drug. If a medication is unusual or contains a narcotic, bring a letter from your doctor stating your need to take the drug. If you are in any doubt about the legality of carrying any drug into a country, please check with the embassy or consulate of that country first.