Public health expert tells Spokane committee harm reduction reduces overdose and infectious disease; debate surfaces over safe‑smoking supplies

A public‑health briefing to Spokane’s Public Safety and Community Health Committee on May 5 argued that harm‑reduction measures — including syringe services, naloxone distribution and safer‑smoking supplies — reduce overdose deaths, cut infectious‑disease transmission and increase entry into treatment.

Doctor Menriquez opened the briefing with a personal example to illustrate the harm‑reduction pathway to recovery: a former injection user who survived multiple overdoses, later completed recovery work and now helps others as a care coordinator. Menriquez framed harm reduction with a definition from the National Harm Reduction Coalition and summarized evidence from the University of Washington’s Addiction Drug and Alcohol Institute (ADAI) and the Centers for Disease Control.

Key evidence cited

Menriquez summarized peer‑reviewed and public‑health findings that…