On February 24, 2026, the HIV Legal Network hosted the webinar Hard Time for Harm Reduction: Perspectives on Prison Programs. The discussion brought together advocates, healthcare professionals, researchers, frontline workers, and individuals with lived experience to examine harm reduction and healthcare in Canadian prisons.
The event was the second of two webinars focused on growing challenges facing harm reduction in Canada. It explored how prison systems respond to the needs of people who use drugs in the context of the ongoing toxic drug crisis. While speakers highlighted areas of progress, a central theme emerged: structural barriers rooted in security-focused approaches continue to limit meaningful access to harm reduction and healthcare in prison settings, with harmful implications for people who use drugs.