Vision

Hello and welcome to Project Mayday! We are a public and above-ground drug user mutual aid and harm reduction collective  in Appalachia that works to strategically advance access to harm reduction and other services while critiquing current systems of control, educating people about harm reduction & drug user health, and aiming to develop an alternative model for drug user organizing in the region.

There are a lot of groups doing great work in Appalachia. This group will be different because we will be actively talking about drug use, harm reduction and the war on drugs, not just amongst ourselves. I think it’s important to dispel common misconceptions about drug use and harm reduction and advance it as a legitimate way of addressing anti-prohibitionist drug policies. And more than just talking about drug use and harm reduction, the group will use active projects to demonstrate how harm reduction and mutual aid principles work in practice and empower people to take care of each other instead of relying on existing institutions.

We are a group of dedicated organizers with a vision of anti-prohibition drug policies, comprehensive drug user health services, and mutual aid, looking strategically at how best to promote these strategies and support the community.

First and foremost, we center and raise the needs and voices of persons who use drugs in West Virginia. Although we mainly implement harm reduction strategies, we also operate within a mutual aid/direct action framework. This means we recognize that everyone at some point needs support and we are here to serve as that source of support or a referral to those services. By widening our scope of practice we are able to maximize our reach. Some services we provide include overdose response training, naloxone distribution, safe use supplies (per state code), safe sex supplies, emergency contraception, clothes, hygiene, shelter, food, and wound care. If you need assistance with any of these services or more, please reach out to us and see how we can help.