MORE HARM REDUCTION –

Oct. 19, 2021 – PAIN now calls attention to syringe service programs under siege, and legislation to decriminalize syringes. Rather than focus its energies on deplatforming wealthy art institutions, the group has been increasingly drawn to the movement for decriminalization and safe supply.

PAIN is often described as an “anti-opioid” organization, a label Goldin rejects. “We have never been anti-opioid,” she told Filter, citing the fact that she takes buprenorphine for opioid use disorder (OUD) and does not believe in abstinence-based treatment. “I love drugs and I believe in drug use.”

In 2019, PAIN joined grassroots organization VOCAL-NY to protest in front of then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office over delays to New York City’s four long-awaited safe consumption sites. In 2020, PAIN again joined VOCAL to protest Cuomo’s move to schedule fentanyl as a controlled substance and to advocate for access to OUD medications. 

more@FilterMag