ID: HR19-494

Presenting author: Mitchell Gomez

Presenting author biography:

Mitchell is the Executive Director of DanceSafe, a public health non-profit offering popular, peer-based education and harm reduction services. In addition to his work with DanceSafe, Mitchell also sits on the Advisory Council of Psymposia, and is a member of the Denver Drug Strategy Commission Data Subcommittee.

Reagent Drug Checking as an Underground Harm Reduction Practice

Mitchell Gomez

Issue - Peer-educator reagent drug checking is an inexpensive, easy to implement harm reduction practice which can be used to help educate users about both what substances they are consuming, and harm reduction best practices for those substances. Unfortunately, in most countries this type of service would be considered illegal under drug possession laws. How can we successfully implemented community-led drug checking services without changing local laws?

Setting - The United States

Project - For over 20 years, DanceSafe has operated using peer-based on-site reagent drug checking and harm reduction education, in technical violation of local laws. This workshop will discuss the ways we have mitigated the risk of arrest to our volunteers, and how others can do the same.

Outcome - In 20 years of testing, at thousands of events, no patron of our services, volunteer, event promoter or DanceSafe employee has ever been arrested. Despite it’s technical illegality, DanceSafe has successfully operated this type of harm reduction practice in the United States. Join us for a demonstration of drug checking services, and a discussion of how a community can be educated about implementing these services despite local legislation.