5.6.26 11am-1pm The War on Drugs, Prison-Industrial Complex, and Harm Reduction (virtual)
Wednesday, May 6th, 2026 11am-1pm
Training Overview:
This training will give harm reduction workers a background of the history and policies related to many of the health disparities faced by people who use drugs, especially those who also identify as people of color, women, and/or LGBTQ. Through a combination of discussion, shared experiences, and activities, training participants will explore how criminalization and exploitation has created a system that causes certain groups to have worse health outcomes and a lower quality of life. Participants will learn how to use this knowledge and build programming that interrupts these oppressive systems and focus service provision to be as open and inclusive as possible, to help reduce the harms stemming from the racialized war on drugs.
At the conclusion of this training, participants should be able to:
- Discuss how the prison industrial complex and war on drugs impact communities of color, from the 1970’s to the present.
- Identify three ways structural racism and capitalism result in treating people differently within the justice system.
- Discuss how to integrate a harm reduction approach ranging from service provision, policy making, and community organizing.
- Explore strategies a program can try when supporting marginalized or oppressed people.
Continuing education units (CEUs) are available thanks to the Center for Learning and Innovation (CLI) for the following disciplines:
- Certified Addiction Professionals (CCAPP)
- Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW)
- Licensed Educational Psychologists (LEP)
- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT)
- Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (LPCC)
- Registered Nurses (RN)
Equity Statement
The San Francisco Department of Public Health is committed to leading with race and prioritizing Intersectionality, including sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, class, nationality, language, and ability. SFDPH strives to move forward on the continuum of becoming an anti-racist institution through dismantling racism, building, building solidarity among racial groups, and working towards becoming a Trauma-Informed/Trauma Healing Organization in partnership with staff, clients, communities, and our contractors. When attending, SFDP trainings, events, and/or meetings, we uphold expectations and standards of rules of engagement for our employees and contractors. We expect that all participants operate in professional integrity and adhere to the DPH Employee Code of Conduct or their employee conduct. Participants will be accountable for upholding any group agreements provided by the trainer or host and uphold principles of transparency, confidentiality and respect. We support respectful participation across intersecting identities and experiences including race, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, class, nationality, religion, language, physical and mental ability, and political ideology. While we strive to make an space of inclusivity, belonging, and hub for various perspective, we do not tolerate any inappropriate behavior or comments rooted in anti-blackness, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, sexism, or any comments or behavior that is discriminatory, disruptive, or divisive. If participants cannot abide by these expectations, they will be removed from the training or event and will not be allowed to attend any additional DPH trainings, event, and/or meetings. Trainers have been informed to notify DPH of any misconduct and a DPH representative will follow up with that employee’s supervisor or participant’s agency regarding the misconduct.
