Test It Before You Ingest It: A Friendly Toolkit to Harm Reduction and Safe Drug Use Practices
Aarya Kini
Test It Before You Ingest It is a primer on harm reduction for young recreational drug users.
While drugs have become deadlier in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the urge amongst the youth to experiment with them has remained, making the risk of drug-use related complications and overdose higher than ever. Consequently, foregrounding the value of harm reduction as a public health practice is critical, and through its various elements, this thesis seeks to do just that.
Three books present the fundamental principles of harm reduction through the voices of experts. Merchandise, like posters for your bedroom, stickers for your notebooks, and a lighter for when you’re out about town, serve as regular reminders of the importance of safe drug use. The resource zine directs you to places you can learn more about harm reduction, and the Narcan kit and test strips are at your disposal for when you feel ready to embrace the responsibility of being an empowered bystander.
Harm reduction relies on community, as does the spread of wisdom about it. This project was produced using cost-effective materials, and digital copies are hosted online to make redistribution as simple as possible for individuals and community organizations.
By designing engaging entry-points to learn about harm reduction, this thesis aims to empower young people to have informed conversations about staying safe and alive should they choose to experiment with drugs. Hopefully it will also foster a generation that believes in and advocates for the life-saving potential of this practice.