We are inviting the entire Cortland community to participate in the Cortland Free Library’s Community Read. The book is Undoing Drugs: The Untold Story of Harm Reduction and the Future of Addiction by Maia Szalavitz was released in July 2021.

To access a book, please visit cortlandfreelibrary.org/about-borrowing or contact the Cortland Free Library at (607) 753-1042. The library has a limited number of free books to distribute to those who sign up to participate in the book club. Depending on availability the library also has one copy of each: eBook, eAudiobook, and audiobook on CD. Search for the electronic versions here (each copy can only be out to one person at a time).

Others looking for free copies can contact Sara Watrous at swatrous@cortlandareactc.org or (607)232-1618 (call or text). Volunteers with Healing Cortland are happy to drop off or meet up to anyone in need a copy!

In April, the Cortland Free Library in partnership with Healing Cortland will be hosting 2 book discussions:

• Monday, April 11, 7-8PM, Virtual – Learn more and register here.
• Saturday, April 23, 10-11AM, In Person @ Cortland Free Library – Learn more and register here.

A Conversation with the Author with a Q&A – Wednesday, April 27 from 3-4pm over Zoom. Register here.

The publisher‘s description of the book:

Drug overdoses now kill more Americans annually than guns, cars, or breast cancer. But the United States has tried to solve this national crisis with policies that only made matters worse. In the name of “sending the right message,” we have maximized the spread of infectious disease, torn families apart, incarcerated millions of mostly Black and Brown people—and utterly failed to either prevent addiction or make effective treatment for it widely available.

There is another way—one that is proven to work. However it runs counter to much of the received wisdom about substances and related problems. It is called harm reduction. Created by a group of people who use drugs and by radical public health experts, harm reduction offers a new way of thinking—one that provides startling insights into behavioral and cultural issues that go far beyond drugs.

In a spellbinding narrative rooted in an urgent call to action, Undoing Drugs tells the untold tale of a quirky political movement that has unexpectedly shaken the foundations of world drug policy. It illustrates how hard it can be to take on widely accepted conventional thinking—and what is necessary to overcome this resistance. Ultimately, Undoing Drugs offers a path forward—led by characters who spent many years being dismissed as worthless, only to develop a breakthrough philosophy that can dramatically improve world health.

We hope you decide to read the book!

To learn more about other related activities happening in April, visit healingcortland.org/exhibit.