Fact #3: There is no evidence that take-home doses lead to increased illicit substance use or opioid overdoses among people in treatment
Fact #4: Take-home doses help prevent dangerous treatment interruptions
Read the full article here: buff.ly/qPoeJ9N
Fact #1: Take-home doses may lead to higher treatment continuity compared to directly observed therapy.
Fact #2: Take-home doses reduce treatment burden and make opioid agonist maintenance treatment (OAMT) more accessible.
📢 The second part of our Debunking Harm Reduction Myths series is out!
🔍 In this article, we investigate the common myths around take-home Opioid Agonist Maintenance Treatment (OAMT) and explain why it might be more effective than you think.
Let’s look at the facts 👇
Our head of research, Rafaela Rigoni, brought forward a key message: civil society data is essential to responding to the epidemics. She highlighted that harm reduction services are already collecting valuable insights among communities often missed by official systems.
🔗 Read more: buff.ly/4u5guTy
💡ECDC 2026 | Insights from Rafaela Rigoni
Between the 10th — 12th of March, the European Network for Hepatitis B and C Surveillance held their 8th technical meeting at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) (@ecdc.europa.eu).
To discover more about the wide range of harm reduction services provided by Suchthilfe, we spoke with Marcus Ramusch, the head of Suchthilfe’s drop-in center Jedmayer.
🔗 Read the full interview here: buff.ly/j4l5ggk
🇦🇹 Suchthilfe Wien is a harm reduction organisation in Vienna, Austria, which focuses on supporting people with drug dependence. The organisation is part of the Focal Point Network at Correlation, providing essential information about the harm reduction landscape in Vienna.
@metzineres.bsky.social
ENDCR members reaffirmed their commitment to evidence-based harm reduction, mutual learning, and coordinated advocacy - ensuring that DCRs remain responsive, sustainable, and firmly rooted in the lived realities of the communities they serve.
🔗 Read the full summary here: buff.ly/5TVFGCW
The event brought together experts and stakeholders to discuss network updates, data-collection, thematic capacity-building, advocacy, evaluation models, and future steps for Drug Consumption Rooms (DCRs) across Europe.
On February 11th and 12th 2026, members of the European Network of Drug Consumption Rooms (ENDCR) gathered in Amsterdam for a technical meeting, co-organised by the ENDCR, C-EHRN, and the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA).
#5 As Rafaela Rigoni, our Head of Research and former Mainline colleague, shared:
“The doors may be closing, but the fight for humane drug policies must continue. We will keep pushing for this tide to turn.”
#4 We would like to thank the entire Mainline team, past and present, for their extraordinary contribution to harm reduction, both in Europe and globally. Their work has made a lasting impact, and their legacy will continue to inspire the community.
#3 The closure of such a respected organisation also reflects a worrying reality: across Europe, civil society organisations working in health & human rights continue to face shrinking funding. Harm reduction services remain insufficiently supported, despite their proven importance.
#2 At C-EHRN, we are deeply grateful for the meaningful collaboration with Mainline across European initiatives and projects. Their expertise, commitment, and openness have made them an invaluable partner and a respected focal point within our Network.
We are deeply saddened to hear that our long-time partner Mainline will soon close its doors after 36 years of pioneering harm reduction work.
For more than three decades, Mainline has been a vital force in supporting people who use drugs in the Netherlands and internationally.
📢 C-EHRN Statement on the Reinstatement of Operating Grants
C-EHRN strongly supports the initiative led by France to reinstate operating grants for health NGOs under the EU4Health Programme from 2026 onwards.
Read our full statement here: buff.ly/gldEYOW
#EU4HEALTH
@eupatientsforum.bsky.social
It translates WHO recommendations into actionable steps, outlining guidance on assessment, service delivery, integration with other health and social services, monitoring and sustainability.
🔗 Read the guide here: buff.ly/Yp7QRo5
📄 The World Health Organisation (@who.int) published a revised operational guide on needle and syringe programmes
The guide provides evidence-based steps to help countries plan, implement and scale up needle and syringe programmes as part of harm reduction responses for people who inject drugs.
In the interview, Joana shares her insights into crack cocaine use across major European cities, what lessons we can learn, and how they can help strengthen current harm reduction responses.
📰 New interview with Het Parool
Correlation’s research officer, Joana Moura, spoke to Dutch newspaper Het Parool about the rising use of crack cocaine in European cities and, more specifically, Amsterdam.
Read the full article here: buff.ly/4f8sJXn
The event is organised with the support of Greece, Czechia, Portugal, Ares do Pinhal, C-EHRN, Gaia Paris, Merchants Quay Ireland, Metzineres (@metzineres.bsky.social), the European Network of Drug Consumption Rooms, the European Union Civil Society Forum on Drugs and the European Union Drugs Agency.
As part of the 69th Session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs, De Regenboog Groep is organising a side event ‘Drug Consumption Rooms in Practice: Facts, Myths, and Lessons Based on Experience and Evidence’. C-EHRN’s director, Katrin Schiffer, will be one of the moderators.
- Methodological approach addressing the struggle of monitoring systems in capturing trends in less well-known substances;
- Updates on drug trends, increased sophistication in drug supply chains, perceived rising adulteration, and concern in growing involvement of youth in drug supply and demand.
In this C-EHRN report:
- A city-level view of trends and dynamics shaping the drug markets based on in-depth qualitative insights;
- Direct sources providing preliminary indication of new trends in substances, helping in confident assessment of prevalence and harm;
🚨 New Report Alert! 🚨
Discover the latest insights into evolving drug trends across 20 European cities (2024–2025).
🔗 Read the full report here: buff.ly/NbJqAZO
#MonitoringHREurope #HarmReduction #DrugTrends
The European Ombudswoman has asked the European Commission to provide a written response on the withdrawal of #EU4Health 2025 operating grants.
A crucial step for transparency and accountability.
📄 Letter: buff.ly/a0RCtio
#CivilSociety #EUHealth
📢 If you would like to provide information on the examples of policies and initiatives addressing the various aspects of the world drug problem, with a special focus on the rights of women and girls, you can submit it by the 31st of March here: buff.ly/BONMd13
🇺🇳 The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is requesting submissions for their upcoming report “Human rights challenges in addressing all aspects of the world drug problem, in particular on the impact of drug policies on the rights of women and girls”.
