News Archive

IU McKinney School of Law faculty working on Indiana University's Responding to the Addictions Crisis Grand Challenge presented some of their latest research at the 2018 Indiana Public Health Conference on October 11, the theme of which was “Saving Lives and Communities: Reducing Harm, Stigma, Overdoses and Death.”

McKinney Law Professors, Aila Hoss, Ross Silverman, and Nicolas Terry presented a session on legal issues implicated in the opioid overdose epidemic. Professor Hoss discussed “Legalizing Harm Reduction,” Professor Silverman “Criminal Justice, Harm Reduction, and Stigma,” and Professor Terry “Healthcare as a Structural Determinant.”

The conference, sponsored by IU and eight other organizations, drew 350 participants from across the state, including local and state health department officials, health care and behavioral health professionals, community organizations, law enforcement, students, and people with lived experience.

At the request of conference organizers, Gov. Eric Holcomb declared October 11 as Harm Reduction Day in Indiana. The proclamation says, "Harm reduction strategies and interventions are important to Indiana's comprehensive response to addressing the opioid epidemic and should be scaled up and implemented in all communities and to all people who need them."

A commonly used definition of harm reduction is a set of practical strategies or policies that help people who use drugs to stay safe and to stay alive -- or, more simply put, to make any positive change.

Aila Hoss is a Visiting Professor of Law and Grand Challenge Fellow and Professor Terry is the Hall Render Professor of Law and Executive Director of the William S. and Christine S. Hall Center for Law and Health. In addition to his appointment at the law school, Professor Silverman is Professor of Health Policy and Management at the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at IUPUI. Together, they have served on a Grand Challenge research team and co-authored the reports Legal and Policy Best Practices in Response to the Substance Abuse Crisis and Innovations in Opioid Law and Policy Interventions Workshop.

Responding to the Addictions Crisis brings together Indiana University's world-class faculty, as well as business, nonprofit and government partners, to create a comprehensive plan to reduce deaths from addiction, ease the burden of addiction on Hoosier communities, and improve health and economic outcomes. As part of IU's Grand Challenges program, this collaborative, statewide initiative is the nation's largest and most comprehensive university-led response to the opioid addiction crisis.

A new video highlighting some of the goals and achievements of the Responding to the Addictions Crisis was recently released and features Professors Hoss, Terry and Silverman.