Susanna is involved in the Harm Reduction field since the early 90’s. She coordinated one of the first outreach interventions in Italy. She advocated for Harm Reduction and Drug Policy Reform. Nowadays, Susanna is focused on qualitative research, training, supervision, human and civil rights etc.

Susanna Ronconi, Forum Droghe and ITARDD – Italian HR Network

1. Can you tell us about your background?

I’ve been an outreach worker, in early ‘90s, I was the coordinator of one of the first outreach interventions in Italy, and an activist for Harm Reduction and Drug Policy Reform.  Then I started  to spend my  competences as a qualitative researcher  in studying  patterns and models of drug use, and in evaluating services and interventions.

2. How would you describe your work in general?

Nowadays I work on  qualitative research,  supervision and training  of professionals and peers in drug, marginalization and prisons fields, often adopting a gender perspective. I’m also active as a CSOs networking facilitator at local and national level.   I’m involved in the Italian drug policy reform  movement and I’m an activist for human  and civil rights. I’m also a member of  the Commission on  violence against women at the Municipality of Torino.

3. What drives you personally to work in your area of work?

With regard to drug issues, a 30 years experience in this field makes me realize that the great part  of harm related to drugs is due to wrong and ineffective policies much more than to drugs themselves, and that a radical change in drug policy is necessary. To reach this goal, both research and scientific knowledge, on one side, and  the active participation and involvement of all actors (CSO, professionals, PWUDs, policy  makers etc), on the other,  are  crucial factors. In a certain sense, I think that my work tries to connect these two aspects. With regard to prison issues, I had a personal experience  in the 80s, and I cannot forget it: working  in an abolitionist perspective is  necessary for me.  And finally, gender issues… I am a woman, I know what I want! And I have a long feminist story, just from the 70s.

4. What is your current focus?

Talking about drugs, in the last 10 years  I’ve been working on  the perspective of  controlled use and self regulation as strategies  which can offer an alternative to prohibition and law&order oriented policies. In a drug use normalization perspective – and normalization  is a fact all over the world, I think – the only effective chance we have is to govern the drug phenomenon through a cultural and social approach, just as we do with alcohol. To promote this approach we need research (how people do and can  control and regulate their use?), social and community work (how we can share and promote  social rituals and norms to regulate the use in a safer way?) , new professionals’ skills (how professionals can support social controls?) and an innovative legal  framework (which kind of legal framework can support and not obstruct social controls?).  Harm reduction approach can support  this change in a relevant way.

5. Why do you think that your current focus is important?

Because the normalization process dealing with drug use is going on and the prohibition is a blunt weapon and, at the same time, we must have an alternative. The development of a social drug culture can be the alternative.

Finally, as a harm reduction network, we are surely interested in your thoughts, specifically on this topic. We would be happy if you could please answer these last two questions also.

6. Harm reductionis still underfunded in many countries, even if there is enough evidence that it works and is cost effective. Why is that?

Evidence is summoned in every declaration from every  public bodies all over the world…. but often it is only empty rethoric. The fact is that the global drug system is a powerful  machine that guarantees  rewards of position to many people  in the economic, political and strategic fields. That is why evidence is not enough: we need activism, communities involved, and  a strong connection between drug issue and other global issues.

7. Please tell us what harm reduction means to you.

I started many years  ago distributing syringes , thinking that this was Harm reduction;  today I think that harm reduction is a strategic approach, a policy and, yes of course also a system of interventions and services. During the years, Harm reduction approach influenced and changed prevention and  treatment too, and demonstrated that living with drugs in a safer and sustainable way is possible. This is what we need in the normalization  age.