Harm reduction supplies

Foreigner

Bluelighter
Joined
Mar 18, 2009
Messages
8,601
Location
The Cosmos
I stongly believe that BL staff should reconsider their policy about not allowing links to sources for harm reduction supplies like needles, filters, syringes, serum vials, etc.

It is not illegal to talk about said supplies. I see no reason to deny people this knowledge. I'd rather people be ordering sterile supplies from sources found here than reusing dirty needles. It's in the best interest of harm reduction to provide supply sources. It's also irresponsible for BL to give instructional threads on how to prepare solutions and how to IM/IV while not pointing people toward supply sources. The authors of those same threads and their participants are just being bombarded in PM about it anyway, so the knowledge is going to be spread whether you like it or not, just like drug use itself is beyond your control. The best thing you can do is make the knowledge public so people can discuss and get the most concise information possible.

Sites that offer these supplies have to respect the law when it comes to shipping restrictions. It should not be BL's job to determine the legalities for them, as they are independent businesses subject to the supply/demand market and its rules. The supplies themselves are legal to seek and obtain, as they are all used for the legal administration of medication. It's the addition of illegal substances that makes them classified as paraphernalia. For a site like BL that already talks about the substances themselves, putting two and two together is not that much of a stretch.

Are needle exchanges enabling people? Or helping them to reduce bodily harm? Think about it. Just like we are not responsible for what people choose to put in their bodies, we are not responsible if people seek the supplies to do so. Our only goal here should be to educate so that they can carry out their wishes in maximum safety. Denying links to clean supplies increases risk of harm.

Please reconsider.
 
further, we have no way of policing every single supplier in every single region of the world. we have no way of knowing that something is legal for purchase in one place but illegal in others. as such, i don't see how we can allow links to any companies, even if they do appear to be a legitimate supplier of hr products.

while the aim is admirable, it's completely unmanageable, hence the long-standing, blanket ban on sources.

alasdair

Your suggestion, as with others who have suggested the same idea, stem from good intentions. Unfortunately that isn't the case for everyone. Some people (an amount which isn't quantifiable) will utilize this privilege to sell or promote items for which they are stakeholders, making it, to reiterate what has been said, impossible to police.
 
I've never gotten any heat for my signature, and would fight tooth and nail if someone were to take offense to it..



Reagent Testing Kits can ONLY be used for Harm Reduction however, while needles and crack pipes.. not so much. I could see no harm in locating some (a few, so as to not advertise just one for-profit company) reliable vendors who would be willing to work with BL, though. I can see how sourcing to any random product could set off some red flags but if BL had a few vendors that were 100% vouched for by it's members, I think it could only serve to strengthen the cause.
 
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