Communities of people who use drugs have for decades, and before the establishment of mainstream health services, designed and implemented some of the most effective evidence-based harm reduction interventions, such as needle-exchange programs, peer-delivered naloxone and community-based drug checking. However, research collaborations between people who use drugs and academic stakeholders often remain scarce, undervalued, and misinterpreted.

The involvement of harm reduction professionals and community members in research is often limited to serving as interviewees or a gateway to access other, often hard-to-reach participants. Consequently, community members may feel that their meaningful involvement is virtually missing, and research data results in evidence which dismisses the knowledge, experiences, and needs of the communities that are the focus of studies and hence, those who should benefit the most.

The first publication in this new series, Fostering Community Knowledge. Community-based Harm Reduction Research argues the need for inclusion in research of people who use drugs and explores its challenges and potential avenues. With this publication, C-EHRN is also launching a complementary Policy Brief that highlights key areas of consideration and provides recommendations.