{"id":11581280,"date":"2025-07-27T09:10:26","date_gmt":"2025-07-27T13:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/?p=11581280"},"modified":"2025-07-27T12:24:28","modified_gmt":"2025-07-27T16:24:28","slug":"harm-reduction-not-enough-baltimore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/2025\/07\/27\/harm-reduction-not-enough-baltimore\/","title":{"rendered":"Harm reduction helps, but Baltimore addiction crisis needs more treatment, advocates say"},"content":{"rendered":"

Narcan, fentanyl test strips and clean needles are being used across Baltimore to prevent overdoses and infections. These tools can save lives in the moment, but they\u2019re not enough, according to one expert on addiction and recovery.<\/p>\n

Mike Gimbel, a longtime advocate for drug treatment and former heroin addict himself, says the real solution is being ignored: long-term access to treatment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe demand for drug treatment beds is enormous,\u201d Gimbel said. \u201cThis is where Baltimore and the state of Maryland have fallen on their face.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gimbel, who has been in recovery for nearly 53 years, said the current strategies being used by city and state leaders are falling short. He\u2019s calling them out publicly for what he calls a failure in the fight against addiction.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you’re seeing on the city and state level, it’s not acceptable,\u201d Gimbel said. \u201cIt’s embarrassing, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gimbel is a familiar face to many from his time on FOX45 News\u2019 Straight Talk with Mike Gimbel. He says open-air drug markets in Baltimore are thriving because there\u2019s little incentive for users to change.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiving clean needles and Narcan and test strips does not change behavior,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you don\u2019t change the behavior of the addict, you may bring them back from an overdose death, but eventually, they\u2019re going to come back.\u201d<\/p>\n

He argues that lasting recovery depends heavily on changing a person\u2019s environment \u2014 including where they live and who they\u2019re surrounded by.<\/p>\n

Drug courts, which can provide court-ordered treatment in place of jail time, are a step in the right direction, he said. But they also face an obstacle.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe concept of drug court has always been very successful,\u201d Gimbel said. \u201cThe problem with drug court is there\u2019s not enough places to send people.\u201d<\/p>\n