BOISE, Idaho — This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
The Boise Police Department served a search warrant at the Idaho Harm Reduction Project’s Caldwell and Boise offices on Tuesday as part of an ongoing investigation into the distribution of drug paraphernalia, according to a department spokesperson.
The spokesperson said the search was related to items related to the use of methamphetamine, opioids, and crack cocaine.
“Items seized were limited to packaged drug paraphernalia and electronic devices related to the ongoing investigation," Haley Kramer with the BPD wrote in an email to the Idaho Press.
The Idaho Harm Reduction Project "works to serve the drug using community of Idaho, as well as the general public by creating safe communities through evidence based programming, education, needle exchange and appropriate needle disposal," according to its website.
The project provides services like naloxone (Narcan) — an opioid overdose reversal medication — syringe exchange and syringe disposal, according to its website.
The nonprofit also offers at-home HIV testing kits, STI and Hepatitis C testing, its website says. The organization was previously contracted with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to distribute Narcan kits across the state, the Idaho Press previously reported.
The syringes used as part of the exchange program were not sought during the warrant, Boise police said.
A request for comment from the Idaho Harm Reduction Project was not immediately returned.
“The Harm Reduction Coalition defines harm reduction as a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with drug use,” its website says. “Harm Reduction is also a movement for social justice built on a belief in, and respect for, the rights of people who use drugs.”
Harm reduction has been a controversial but growing movement aimed at engaging directly with people who use drugs to help with things like stopping overdoses and disease transmission. For example, NPR reported that some Canadian doctors prescribe opioids to patients to prevent them from using street drugs laced with deadly chemicals.
The Boise Police Department said that the Caldwell Police Department and Canyon County Sheriff's Office assisted.
This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press, read more on IdahoPress.com.
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