Educational outreach is one of our biggest priorities at SACHR. Decades of abstinence based drug education in the United States have created a widespread lack of awareness of how to prevent many of the potential dangers associated with drug use. Just as teenagers who do not receive sexual education are more likely to contract STIs or have an unwanted pregnancy – people who never encounter harm reduction education are much more susceptible to the potential dangers of drug related harm such as contracting HIV/Hepatitis C or accidental overdose.
This is the concept behind The Young Injectables, an educational resource created by our Harm Reduction Services and Syringe Access Program Manager Van Asher. As drug use continues to be pushed underground, morbidity has increased with record numbers of fatal overdoses occurring each year. These are preventable deaths. HCV infections are also an ongoing problem, with the highest rate of new infections happening among young injecting drug users. Drug use is here to stay, but many of the dangers associated with it do not have to be.
The Young Injectables uses real-life situations to provide a dialogue on how to stay healthy and safe while using drugs. Illustrated by U. A. Morrison, the series follows a group of heroes whose superpower is harm reduction. Follow them as they fly through New York City’s streets, apartments, and subways offering sterile syringes, HIV and Hepatitis C prevention strategies, Narcan training, overdose prevention strategies and more.
Click or tap the comic book below to start reading:
THIS WILL REACH SOME FOLKS THAT THE TRADITIONAL TOOLS MAY NOT WORK ON. MANY DIFFERENT PATHS ONE SOLUTION. AGAIND AREA THAT SACHR DEVELOPING GREAT AND CREATIVE WAYS TO SERVE THE PEOPLE THEY HAVE BEEN SERVING FOR THREE DECADES. GREAT WORK DOCTOR ASHER
On behalf of the drug users I hang out with in LA, we BOW DOWN to creators of THE YOUNG INJECTABLES!
Can’t wait for the next issue. oxoxoxo, Heather
It is very cool! I like it
This is awesome . Love it ty
The images and messages in this graphic novel r easier to connect to. Ty Van and SACHR for a great tool.
awesome job! Would love to use this in a safer injection group!
Please feel free to share it.
This is awesome. Or wicked incredible as we say in Boston. I am sure this is already around the SF area but it is needed in our suburban and more rural pockets of both Western MA, south MA, and the more rural pockets of the SF Bay Area — yes we have those up in Santa Cruz, Alameda County, and Napa/Solano/and Sonoma Counties. Great work!!