Feb 13, 2024
WGNF increases awareness of harm reduction approaches in the collegiate setting
WGNF Executive Director, Kristin Nash MPH, took part in these recent conferences. Provided here is a summary and links for each below.
Annual Legal Issues in Higher Education Conference - Burlington Vermont, October 16, 2023
National Association of College and University Attorneys - Washington DC, November 10, 2023
The NASPA Strategies Conference (2 sessions) - San Francisco, January 18-19, 2024
Annual Legal Issues in Higher Education Conference
- Burlington Vermont, October 16, 2023
Can Colleges Support Students to Reduce Harm in the Era of Rising Cannabis and Psychedelic Use?
Session Objectives:
Review current substance use trends for college students
Identify the practice gap for prevention and intervention for substances other than alcohol on college campuses
Highlight how harm reduction strategies support, not conflict, with Drug Free Schools and Communities Act activities for institutions
Share promising prevention and intervention approaches for cannabis and psychedelics
Hear student perspectives
Presenters:
Barbara McCall, MPH, MCHES - Associate Vice President for Student Health and Well-being, Middlebury College
Kristin Nash, MPH - Executive Director, William G. Nash Foundation
James Moore, Senior Advisor for Clery Act Compliance and Campus Safety, U.S. Department of Education (ED)
Tom Fontana, LCMHC, LADC - Alcohol, Cannabis and Other Drugs Initiatives Manager, University of Vermont
Student Perspectives, University of Vermont
Notes on this session:
It’s notable that Jim Moore from the US Dept of Education joined our panel. He was incredibly supportive of harm reduction approaches, including Naloxone training and distribution to keep students safe. His view is that schools need to both have policies that prohibit and work to prevent AOD use, as well as to implement harm reduction programs.
Claudine McCarthy, Co-Editor of "Campus Legal Advisor" reported on this talk and the wider themes around harm reduction approaches on college campuses in the latest edition, which you can read at this link. (Pages 3,14).
National Association of College and University Attorneys
- Washington DC, November 10, 2023
Session Objectives:
Review Drug Free Schools and Communities Act requirements as they intersect with changing laws/increased use of cannabis and psychedelics
Identify substance use trends, harms and intervention practice gaps for cannabis and psychedelics
Review the philosophy of harm reduction and how to apply it in a college setting
Share prevention, intervention and harm reduction approaches for alcohol and other drugs, including cannabis and psychedelics
Highlight how harm reduction strategies can support, not conflict with, the Drug Free Schools and Communities Act
Panelists:
Ashley E. Miller, JD - Counsel, Saul Ewing LLP
Kristin Nash, MPH - Executive Director, William G. Nash Foundation
Nina C. Christie, PhD - Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Center on Alcohol, Substance Use, and Addictions
James Moore - Senior Advisor, Clery Act Compliance/Campus Safety, US Department of Education
Notes on this session:
This presentation emphasized the legal aspects of harm reduction and the DFSCA. Again, James Moore of the US Deparment of Education, clearly stated that harm reduction not only doesn’t conflict with this federal policy, it’s important for schools to implement.
Nina Christie PhD, author of the harm reduction toolkit called Listen to Young People (which you can learn more about here), presented its contents.
NASPA Strategies Conference
- San Francisco, CA, Jan. 18-19
This conference is aimed at college/university health and wellness professionals. Learn more here
Talk 1:
Strategies to Support Students to Reduce Risks and Harm in the Era of Rising "Other Drug" Use while Complying with DFSCA Expectations
Session Objectives:
Describe emerging trends related to young adult use of “other drugs”
Identify harm reduction strategies that can be used to address “other drug” use on college campuses
Describe how harm reduction strategies support compliance requirements under the DFSCA instead of conflict with them
Presenters:
Barbara McCall, MPH, MCHES - Associate Vice President for Student Health and Well-being, Middlebury College
Kristin Nash, MPH - Executive Director, William G. Nash Foundation
Hannah Ross, JD - General Counsel, Chief of Staff, and Secretary to the Corporation, Middlebury College
Notes on this session:
This was largely a reprise of the above two sessions with different panelists. In addition to the “Listen to Young People” toolkit, Kristin presented about a study where 25 college/university health and wellness professionals were interviewed, as part of an upcoming academic paper.
That paper called: Perspectives on Harm Reduction for the College Campus: A Proposed Framework, also had a poster session at the conference.
Talk 2:
Addressing the Practice and Intervention Gaps for Psychedelics Use: Harm Reduction Strategies and Stanford’s REACH Lab’s New Comprehensive Intervention
Session Objectives:
Describe emerging trends related to young adult use of psychedelics
Identify the practice and intervention gaps for campus prevention specialists related to psychedelics
Identify harm reduction strategies and resources campuses can use to include psychedelic-specific information in prevention and intervention plans
This highlighted the Safety First Curriculum and specifically the psychedelics module Stanford's REACH Lab.
Presenters:
Barbara McCall, MPH, MCHES - Associate Vice President for Student Health and Well-being, Middlebury College
Kristin Nash, MPH - Executive Director, William G. Nash Foundation
Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, PhD - Professor of Pediatrics, Stanford University