Barcelona, Spain: “You can’t restrict rights because someone uses drugs, otherwise, you’d have to restrict them for everyone. Poverty cannot be filtered through consumption. Much of it is connected to pain, not just recreation. Harm Reduction is a matter of social justice and rights.”
When asked to explain why it matters to provide assistance not tied to a commitment of abstinence to people who use illicit substances, Ester Aranda, a veteran of Harm Reduction programmes in Catalonia, said this.
For forty years, Harm Reduction (HR) operators have been assisting substance users in various locations, including the narrow streets of Naples, festivals in Turin, and the outskirts of Barcelona. They have been instrumental in curbing overdose deaths and the transmission of deadly diseases in Europe, as well as directing individuals seeking to quit to appropriate services. These programmes have proven essential in protecting health, dignity and social inclusion, whether drug use is recreational or problematic. Over time, HR has become a key part of the European Union's drugs strategy. However, funding remained limited.
The project investigated the state of HR programmes and services in Italy and Spain, assessing how a fragmented financial and operational framework hinders the ability to provide essential healthcare and support to people who use drugs. Over six months, our team visited several cities in Spain and Italy. They spoke with operators and researchers, joined street units and attended free parties, festivals and street parades. They also visited drop-in centres, rehabilitation communities and supervised consumption sites in marginalised communities.
Barcelona and Catalonia in Spain stand out as European pioneers in harm reduction thanks to the extensive network of programmes implemented since the 1990s. In Italy, where drug policies are more restrictive and there is a greater stigma around consumption, initiatives often depend on local organisations and face constant challenges. Despite the bloc’s pledges, our investigation shows that EU funding schemes have failed to support harm reduction policies in the countries examined.
Key findings:
- In almost all the cases surveyed, HR programs could not access European funding schemes for not meeting the requirements or because they lack the knowledge on how to apply.
- The level of integration of these services with the public sector varies considerably between regions and even neighbourhoods of the same city, regardless of the political colour of local governments.
- Operators who are also people that use drugs are an essential part of Harm Reduction teams and increase their efficacy in interacting with their target communities.
- Even where HR has been consolidated as a service rather than an experimental project, a high degree of uncertainty around money and support remains, and funds only meet a small quota of the needs of the targeted population.
Impact
A variety of civil society and institutional actors, as well as other sector-specific media outlets, shared or referenced the information uncovered during the investigations. This led to the stories being widely circulated in the field of drug harm reduction. Professionals working in harm reduction and social services have reported that the investigation is being cited and discussed internally as a source of evidence-based information to counter narratives promoted by certain political parties. In addition, the reporters have given presentations to stakeholders to share the findings and generated discussions. Many expressed their appreciation for the care, respect and empathy shown during both the reporting process and the presentation of the findings. This demonstrates the value of ethical reporting practices and emphasises the crucial role that people affected by an issue can have in orienting the narratives created about them.
Image credit: ©Julia Molins. During the Eve of St. James celebrations on July 24, 2025, in Vitoria (Basque Country, Spain), the association Ai Laket! , dedicated to promoting Harm Reduction in drug use, set up its mobile van in front of one of the 'choznas', spots where young people gather to celebrate. Inside the vehicle, a staff member analyses an ecstasy sample brought by a user a few minutes earlier, while her colleague outside distributes harm reduction information and sterile materials for safer consumption.
