HB73

Testimony of My Journey in Recovery Coaching & the Power of Harm Reduction My lived experience has shaped me into the recovery coach I am today—one who stands beside those on their journey, guiding with empathy, strength, and unwavering support. I don’t just work in recovery; I live it. When I was struggling, harm reduction wasn’t even a conversation. There was no meeting people where they were—it was all or nothing, and if you couldn’t stay sober, you were left behind. Many people never made it out. Back then, we had limited options, and the pathways available today were nonexistent. But now, things have changed—and it’s a miracle. Today, there are multiple pathways to recovery, and harm reduction is saving lives in ways we never could have imagined. It’s no longer about forcing a one-size-fits-all model. Instead, we recognize that recovery is different for everyone, and small steps forward matter. Harm reduction allows people to take manageable, sustainable steps toward change. In my work, I have seen firsthand how offering safer alternatives, reducing risk, and empowering individuals leads to long-term healing. Instead of saying, “You must quit immediately,” harm reduction allows me to say, ?? "Let’s make small, sustainable changes that reduce harm and improve your well-being." This approach has allowed me to: ? Help people reduce risk without the fear of judgment. ? Encourage progress, not perfection. ? Foster trust and engagement with individuals who might otherwise avoid traditional recovery programs. ? Respect each person's autonomy and empower them to make the best choices for their own health. For many of the individuals I work with, harm reduction provides a lifeline. It recognizes that healing happens in stages—and that even small steps forward are victories. It saves lives in ways that abstinence-only approaches often fail to do. I have had the honor of guiding individuals as they: ? Access Narcan (Naloxone) to prevent overdose. ? Learn safer use practices that prevent infection and disease. ? Find medication-assisted treatment (MAT) options like Suboxone or Methadone. ? Regain self-worth, employment, and stability in a way that works for them. Harm reduction isn’t enabling—it’s empowering. It’s about giving people dignity, options, and a chance to live long enough to find recovery. It’s about saying, “I see you, I value you, and I’m here to help.” I know what it’s like to fight for recovery when the only option was total abstinence with no safety net. Today, we have pathways that support people at every stage—and that is a miracle. I’m grateful to be a part of a movement that is saving lives, breaking stigma, and offering real hope. ?? Recovery is possible, and harm reduction makes sure people live long enough to find it. ??

This is a crucial Bill that needs to be approved both for prevention of and for the care of those many individuals who struggle with this mental health disorder.

Blockchain is a highly innovative and important technology. However, NH already has some of the highest energy costs in the country and blockchain companies are heavily energy intensive. I am concerned that this bill could further increase already unaffordable energy prices.

Hello, I’m writing today to urge you to vote in favor of HB73. I’m a medical provider living and working in NH and providing harm reduction care for people struggling with addiction in our state. We all know how grave the addiction epidemic is in NH and the urgency with which we need to take action. Harm reduction is a compassionate and cost effective strategy for tackling this crisis; it also has the best evidence for success of any approach that has been implemented. Continuing to pour resources into the punishment based paradigm that has been failing us for over a century hurts everyone involved. It’s time to rethink our approach. Since harm reduction has the best data for success and the lowest cost of implementation, it makes the most sense to focus our policy interventions here. Speaking both as an addiction medicine provider and as a New Hampshire tax-payer, I believe this is the right path forward. Thank you for your consideration. Katy Sullivan, FNP-C

Hello, I’m writing today to urge you to vote in favor of HB73. I’m a medical provider living and working in NH and providing harm reduction care for people struggling with addiction in our state. We all know how grave the addiction epidemic is in NH and the urgency with which we need to take action. Harm reduction is a compassionate and cost effective strategy for tackling this crisis; it also has the best evidence for success of any approach that has been tried. Continuing to pour resources into the punishment based paradigm that has been failing us for over a century hurts everyone involved. It’s time to rethink our approach. Since harm reduction has the best data for success and the lowest cost of implementation, it makes the most sense to focus our policy interventions here. Speaking as an addiction medicine provider, a New Hampshire tax-payer, and a person with whom loved ones have struggled with addiction, I believe this is the right path forward. Thank you for your consideration.

Hello, I’m writing today to urge you to vote in favor of HB73. I’m the medical director for a NH based medical organization providing wrap-around care for people living with addiction. I’m board certified in family medicine and addiction medicine, and will be presenting on the topic of harm reduction at the American Association of Family Practice’s annual conference this Spring. All that is to say, I’m passionate about helping people heal from addiction and have put a lot of thought into it over the years. We all know how grave the addiction epidemic is in NH and the urgency with which we need to take action. Harm reduction is a compassionate and cost effective strategy for tackling this crisis; it also has the best evidence for success of any approach that has been tried. Continuing to pour resources into the punishment based paradigm that has been failing us for over a century hurts everyone involved. It’s time to rethink our approach. Since harm reduction has the best data for success and the lowest cost of implementation, it makes the most sense to focus our policy interventions here. Speaking both as an addiction medicine physician and as a New Hampshire tax-payer, I believe this is the right path forward. I’ve spent a lot of time digging into the research and strategizing about this topic and would love to make myself a resource to you. If I can ever be of assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Thank you for your consideration. All the Best, Jonathan Peters, DO

I was raised in Litchfield, where I have now returned to live and raise my family. I am a mom of two young kids and a family physician. I work at the federally qualified health center in Manchester taking care of some of the highest-needs families in the state, and I also moonlight in two county jails. Working with people who are struggling to recover from substance abuse is one of the best parts of my job. My husband is also a family doctor and he does full time addiction medicine as the medical director for Better Life Partners, which is the largest virtual addiction medicine service in the state. This is not just work for us. Like most of you, we have family members and acquaintances who have been profoundly affected by the opiate epidemic, and we care deeply about being part of the solution. I have reviewed HB 73 and would like to strongly encourage you to support the bill and the funding it requires. The opiate epidemic has ravaged our communities for long enough that unfortunately many believe that all we can do to quell it has already been done; we feel tired of fighting the tide and overwhelmed at the scope of the damage. But we haven’t done it all, we haven’t done enough, we need to keep fighting. And I can testify that supporting a harm-reduction focused approach to substance use treatment works. People get better, and the impact of that recovery positively ripples through families, communities and generations. It's fiscally responsible and prevents further public health crises in the future. The best evidence-based practices for helping people stay alive, effectively recover from substance use, and move on to have healthy and happy lives involve harm reduction strategies. You can read more about harm reduction here: https://www.samhsa.gov/substance-use/harm-reduction I’ve been a family doctor for fourteen years. I take care of folks of all ages and in many settings. All the work I do in family medicine is harm-reduction focused. When I care for a diabetic who keeps eating bread even though it elevates their blood sugar, I don’t try to punish them by taking away their medication - I strategize with them collaboratively about how we can make gradual improvements to improve their long term health, sometime I increase their medication, sometimes I offer education or nutritional support. Using a harm reduction approach when treating addiction is no different. And it’s no surprise that it works better than past punitive approaches. And the effects are easy to see: for example, I treat lots of pregnant women with substance use. If we can create systems to intervene earlier and more effectively in addiction, we can help a woman keep herself and her baby healthier (save healthcare money), we get her back to the workforce (contribute to the economy), we keep her kids out of foster care (saving social services money), we prevent the cycle from repeating itself. Any funding we can secure for bills like HB 73 will save taxpayers so much money for decades to come - and it is the right, compassionate thing to do for your constituents, whose families are struggling personally with this epidemic. Please feel free to contact me with any questions about addiction medicine. I joined the board of the NH Academy of Family Physicians this year specifically to get more involved in community education and legal advocacy. I’d love to text, email, talk on the phone, or have coffee with you to further this conversation. Thanks, Kate Peters, D.O. 805-340-2095 katepetersdo@gmail.com

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