On this special podcast edition of Prison Pipeline: The Harm Reduction Debate Continues.
The Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery held a public hearing September 15 on the subject of harm reduction. Six bills were being considered, including H.2235, An Act ensuring safe disposal of hypodermic needles and lancets in the Commonwealth; S.1410, An Act helping overdosing persons in emergencies; H.2225, An Act relative to harm reduction and racial justice, and the Senate version of that bill, S.1391; and H.2196, An Act relative to preventing overdose deaths and increasing access to treatment, along with the Senate version of that bill, S.1393.
This week on Prison Pipeline we hear some of the testimony from that hearing, from witnesses including Julie Burns, President & CEO of RIZE Massachusetts; Gavi Wolfe, Legislative Director at the ACLU of Massachusetts; Noel Sierra, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery; Theresa Buccico, Outreach Engagement Specialist at Everyday Miracles Peer Recovery Center; Nico Alicea, Western Massachusetts Regional Coordinator of the Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery; Sashi James with The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls, and Families for Justice as Healing; and the Reverend Jon Tetherly of Chicopee, Massachusetts.
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