The 2018 Global State of Harm Reduction is the sixth edition of this report, and the most comprehensive ever thanks to a coordinated effort of over 100 harm reduction practitioners, academics, advocates and activists from around the world.

It finds that, since the last report in 2016, the global harm reduction response has effectively stalled (view press release here). Overdose, HIV and hepatitis C crises continue, among myriad health and social problems related to drug use and drug policy, yet many countries are neglecting them.

The report can be read in full here or in its separate chapters:

The 2018 Global State of Harm Reduction has a broader scope than its predecessors and contains information on:

The number of people who inject drugs and the number of people imprisoned for drug use (where data is available).

Needle and syringe programmes (NSP), opioid substitution therapy (OST), HIV and hepatitis C and TB testing and treatment for people who use drugs, in both the community and in prisons.

The harm reduction response for people who use amphetamine-type stimulants, cocaine and its derivatives, and new psychoactive substances.

Drug-checking in nightlife settings.

Harm reduction for women who use drugs.

Drug consumption rooms.

Drug-related mortality and morbidity and the overdose response, as well as naloxone peer distribution in the community and naloxone provision in prisons.

Developments and regressions in funding for harm reduction.

Global State of Harm Reduction 2018 special reports and thematic briefings:

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The state of harm reduction in Western Europe

This special report gives detailed analysis of harm reduction programmes in Western Europe, with a particular focus on developments in Switzerland.

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Women and harm reduction

Find out about the provision of harm reduction services for women around the world, including the urgent need for scale-up of these services and examples of innovative gender-sensitive programmes.

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Drug-checking services

Find out about the different types of drug-checking services and where they are available around the world.

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Drug consumption rooms

Find out about which countries have drug consumption rooms, the different types of services available and the benefits they bring to public health.

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Hepatitis C and people who use drugs

Find out about the services available to prevent and treat viral hepatitis among people who use drugs and the work that needs to be done to eliminate the virus by 2030.

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Harm reduction and prisons

Find out how many countries provide harm reduction services in prison and the significant shortfall there is service provision to meet the needs of incarcerated people who use drugs.

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Harm reduction for stimulant use

Read our joint briefing with coAct to find out about harm reduction measures for stimulant use, including safer smoking kits, drug checking and drug consumption rooms.

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