The Grinch Who Stole Harm Reduction

By Jessica Shortall

In 2024, the Grinch Who Stole Harm Reduction saw people taking commonsense steps to reduce their health risks, and he didn’t like it one bit. He wanted to stymie bipartisan efforts on syringe services and medications for opioid use disorder, overregulate reduced-risk nicotine products, and ignore sexually transmitted infections. But R Street’s Integrated Harm Reduction team is spreading the word: Harm reduction saves and changes lives.

Every Who down in Whoville cared for one another a lot,

But the Grinch, with his head in the sand, he did not!

From syringe services to e-cigarettes to access to PrEP,

The Whos knew that harm reduction was a great step,

For keeping each other safer each day,

Without demanding they all should “Just quit!” right away.

But in drug use, and smoking, and sexual health,

The Grinch saw tools to ban—that crusty old elf.

He took all the Narcan, he put up red tape

Around access to methadone, drug checking, and vapes.

But the Whos knew that evidence was on their side.

They called senators, told stories, even testified.

They sang, “Harm reduction will always be,

Just as long as we have we.”

The Grinch puzzled and puzzled ‘til his puzzler was sore,

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before.

Maybe health looks like meeting folks on their own path,

Not government banning stuff without doing the math.

So from that moment on, the old Grinch changed his ways,

And backed harm reduction for the rest of his days.

Ways to un-Grinch yourself on harm reduction this December:

• Sign up for our monthly Safer From Harm coalition newsletter, and check out the work of our coalition members.
• Visit our website to learn more about integrated harm reduction and public policy.