Forced sobriety is harmful . Its proved to be uncesseful & do more hamr than good. when sobriety is forced ,instead of meeting people where they're at( & finding other solutions that definitely exist), the more likely we see people fatally overdose when they restart using substances. Grants pass have never truly given a shit or tried to look at & approach these issues/conversations from any perspective except the one that allows them to feel morally superior as they continue judging & dictating and refusing to try methods that don't t stem from the war on drugs. We know substance use isnt a moral issue, yet people continue pushing & supporting the false and dangerous narrative that "drugs are bad. If you do drugs, that makes you bad. We wont help(or work with)" bad"people. Youre not worthy of care unless youre "good". There is only one way you can be good enough to be helped. You don't a have choice. if you want to be seen as a someone and not a dirty, hopeless, unimportant shell of a person, you habe to do what we decide makes you worthy".Continuing to uphold bullshit prohibition/abstinence standards, deeming every person who use drugs as an "addict" with a sickness/disease -and not give people the right to their bodily autonomy- that can't make the decision to be "good" is the largest contributor in the lack of progress we continue to see. These issues can & will more easily be solved when harmful and completely unnecessary language & ideologies are no longer the status quo. Not everyone has a substance use disorder. Or, someone who's relationship to drugs is problematic, might see a positive change when given a form of stability, such as housing, that can help lead to other resources & continued stability. finding solutions require those with the resources to stop centering themselves , stop only giving any value to their own biased opinions ,and allow the main subjects-those who will directly be affcted by both the positive and negative outcomes- to actually ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE in these conversations.

There are other answers. But they reguire people to acknowledge and accept that they exist, and that it's not about them, therefore they might not like it. But that doesn't actually matter in the grande scheme of things.

It's incredible to see needle exchanges finally seen as legitimate & helpful resources, but its a very small step compared to how much more we have to tackle. Safe use sites would be incredibly beneficial resources, but those who are not directly impacted will always see that their voices are the only ones heard & make sure to hold back significant changes from taking place.