關於美國菸草減害網路媒體《Filter》停止營運聲明
作者：Will Godfrey
2026年8月11日
《Filter》將於本週停止營運。和當今太多減害組織及獨立媒體一樣，我們終究無法在日益艱困的募資環境中繼續生存。對所有關心這份刊物的人而言，這是一個悲傷的時刻。但我不認為我們需要因此感到絕望。
2017年，我們幾個人聚在一起，開始構思《Filter》。當時我們將使命定義為：「透過新聞報導，倡議以理性且富有同理心的方式面對藥物使用、藥物政策及人權議題。」
我們的目標之一，是對抗主流媒體對藥物及藥物使用者所建構的負面、有害敘事。我們希望透過提供發聲平台，呈現那些經常遭到忽視的重要聲音、故事與議題，藉此挑戰汙名與錯誤資訊。我們希望揭露所謂的「毒品戰爭」究竟是什麼——那其實是一場針對人的戰爭——並讓公共討論朝更好的方向發展。
自2018年網站正式上線以來，八年之間，《Filter》一直是一個專門報導減害議題的新聞媒體。我們為此刊登了數千篇文章，包括調查報導、新聞短訊、訪談、專文、評論，以及許多不同形式的內容。我們記錄了減害運動快速發展，並逐漸進入美國主流政策討論的這段時期。
我們曾經破解各種關於藥物的迷思與錯誤觀念，提供相關資訊與降低使用風險的方法，凸顯經常被忽略的需求與觀點，探索減害運動的歷史與文化，並剖析各項政策發展。
我們曾經率先揭露重要消息與調查報導，也持續進行分析。我們記錄北美藥物過量危機的發展軌跡，以及為減緩危機而已經實施或尚未實施的減害措施。同時，我們始終沒有忘記，禁止政策所扮演的角色，正是這場危機最初形成的重要原因。
在美國國內及國際層面，我們長期且深入報導與興奮劑、迷幻藥物、大麻、酒精、阿片類藥物使用障礙治療藥物及其他物質相關的實務與政策。
更重要的是，這些報導經常由實際使用相關藥物的當事人撰寫——這樣的做法極為重要，卻依然罕見得令人遺憾。
我們也經常呈現藥物政策與一系列交織議題之間的關聯，包括從警政與執法到性工作，以及從心理健康到居住危機與氣候危機。
我們對大規模監禁議題的重點報導，是由一群積極投入、長期耕耘且充滿熱忱的監所記者所帶領。其中一人更因其報導成果而獲獎，這一直是我們引以為傲的成就。
《Filter》另一項與眾不同之處，在於我們始終將菸草減害置於核心位置。菸草是全球藥物相關死亡的最大來源，而我們持續說明，為何將菸草減害納入更廣泛的公共衛生及人權倡議至關重要。
在我們創刊之初，專門處理「藥物」減害的組織很少將菸草減害納入工作範圍。不過，部分得益於我們的倡議，這樣的情況如今正在改變。
《Filter》的內容曾被全球數百萬名讀者閱讀。我們的報導曾獲大型傳統媒體引用與轉載，也曾被國際部落格重新刊登及翻譯，並出現在學術論文、法院案件及書籍等各種場合。我們也獲得這個領域許多組織與個人的肯定。
這些成果，是由一支多年來僅有三至五人的團隊完成的。然而，我們需要感謝的人實在太多。
我們傑出的作者群，是這份刊物的命脈。他們來自不同背景，包括專業記者、倡議者、社會運動者、學者、醫療照護工作者，以及專業知識源自親身經驗的人。
能夠與數百名不同背景的作者合作，是我的榮幸。他們對議題所抱持的熱情與掌握的知識如此深厚，以至於身為編輯，我最重要的工作之一，反而是不要妨礙他們。
我同樣對《Filter》工作團隊的才華與投入感到敬佩。因為他們如此在乎我們關注的議題，即使經常身處艱困環境，仍然一週又一週地產出傑出的作品。
他們是副主編Kastalia Medrano、資深編輯Helen Redmond，以及我們的榮譽團隊成員、菸草減害研究員Kiran Sidhu。
能與他們共事，是我的榮幸。透過附在他們名字上的連結，你可以大致了解，他們如何以各自獨特的寫作風格與關注領域，塑造這份刊物。
過去也有其他人以極為出色的表現擔任《Filter》的工作人員，包括Sessi Kuwabara Blanchard、Alex Norcia及Alexander Lekhtman。我由衷感謝他們每一個人。
同樣的感謝也要獻給《Filter》的所有資助者——從大型基金會、企業，到許多願意定期或單次捐款的個人讀者。近期我們遭遇財務困難時，其中一些人甚至主動提高了支持金額。
當有人如此相信你的計畫，願意拿出真金白銀支持時，那種感受令人謙卑。若沒有這些慷慨的支持者，《Filter》根本不可能誕生，更不可能成長為後來的模樣。
我們也同樣感謝合作組織，包括Knowledge-Action-Change、Drug Policy Alliance、Global Forum on Nicotine、National Harm Reduction Coalition及《Marijuana Moment》。這些組織曾與我們合作，或以各種方式支持我們的工作。
所有曾在《Filter》工作的人，也要向我們所屬非營利組織The Influence Foundation的董事會表達感謝。近期的董事成員包括Sheila Vakharia、Diane Goldstein、Morgan Godvin、Christine Rodriguez，以及財務長Phil Hur。
無論是在組織成長或面臨風浪的時期，他們都無私貢獻智慧與專業，引領我們一路走來。就我個人而言，年復一年，我始終感謝他們提供具建設性的指導與支持。在這個時刻，其中幾位也希望分享一些話。
Morgan表示：
「我是在出獄還不到一年時接觸到《Filter》的。當時的我，仍然深深覺得自己毫無力量。
《Filter》將那些過去經常被用來貶低像我這樣的人的經歷，視為一種專業知識。它將孤立轉化為社群，將親身經驗轉化為公共知識。
我所撰寫及閱讀的故事，讓我與全國各地的人建立連結，也讓我擁有至今仍然珍惜的友誼。失去《Filter》令我心情沉重，但在我的餘生中，我都會為我們在這裡共同建立的一切感到驕傲。」
董事會最後幾項任務之一，就是安排在我們結束營運後，讓《Filter》網站仍能繼續上線數年，作為社群可以運用的資源。
因此，如果你是在未來某個我們無從得知的時間來到這裡，我希望你能深入翻閱這些典藏內容，並從中有所收穫。
最後，沒有讀者，刊物便一無所有。《Filter》的讀者格外睿智、投入且堅定。我們始終珍惜你們的分享與討論、你們各式各樣的意見回饋，以及你們一路以來的支持。
這些支持也傳達了一項令人深受鼓舞的訊息：減害與人權理念，擁有一股強大且堅定的支持力量。
《Filter》的旅程即將結束，但這不代表這趟旅程不值得走過。當我們環顧四周，只能得出一個結論：曾經推動《Filter》前進的理念，如今依然掌握在許多令人振奮的人手中。
Diane表示：
「我協助創立《Filter》，是因為我相信藥物使用者應當被有尊嚴地看待，而不是被站在遠處的人任意評斷。
我從未想過，《Filter》也會成為一個幫助我承載兄弟記憶的地方。
看著它結束，就像失去了自己家庭的一部分。然而，它所代表的一切，以及它曾經接觸、影響的每一個人，都將比它存在得更久。」
謝謝大家一路與我們同行。
延伸閱讀：
What It’s Like to Be a Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocate in Taiwan
Taiwan Is About to Ban the Use of Nicotine Vapes
英文原文：A Statement About Filter
Filter is shutting down this week. We were unable to survive an increasingly difficult funding landscape, like too many other harm reduction and independent media organizations in these times. It’s a sad moment for those of us who have cared about the publication. But I don’t think we need to be despondent.
A few of us got together to conceive Filter in 2017. Our mission, as we framed it, was “to advocate through journalism for rational and compassionate approaches to drug use, drug policy and human rights.” Our aims included countering dominant, damaging media narratives about drugs and people who use them. We wanted to challenge stigma and misinformation by platforming important voices, stories and issues that are routinely ignored. We wanted to expose the drug war for what it really is—a war on people—and influence the public conversation for the better.
For the eight years since we pushed the site live in 2018, Filter has had the distinction of being a news organization dedicated to covering harm reduction. We have published thousands of articles—investigative reports, news briefs, interviews, essays, opinion and much more—to that end, documenting a period when the movement has evolved rapidly and entered mainstream policy discussions in the United States.
We have debunked drug myths, provided information about safer use, highlighted overlooked needs and perspectives, explored the history and culture of harm reduction, and deconstructed policy developments. We have broken news and analyzed it. We have charted the trajectory of the North American overdose crisis, and the harm reduction interventions that have—and haven’t—been implemented to mitigate it, while never losing sight of prohibition’s role in creating the crisis to begin with.
Nationally and internationally, we’ve routinely and in depth covered practice and policies around stimulants, psychedelics, cannabis, alcohol, medications for opioid use disorder and more—coverage often authored, importantly but far too unusually, by people who actually use the drugs in question.
We’ve regularly drawn the links from drug policy to a raft of intersecting issues, from policing to sex work, from mental health to the housing and climate crises. The fact that our heavy focus on mass incarceration has been spearheaded by a group of dedicated incarcerated journalists, one of whom won an award for his work, is a source of pride.
Filter has also stood out by centering tobacco harm reduction—concerning the world’s biggest source of drug-related deaths—and showing why it’s crucial to integrate it with wider public health and human rights causes. Back when we launched, it was highly unusual for “drug” harm reduction organizations to do this, though thanks in part to our advocacy that is now changing.
Filter’s work has been read by many millions of people around the world. It has been picked up and cited by major legacy media; republished and translated by international blogs; referenced in academic papers, court cases, books and more; and praised by many entities and individuals in this space. We’ve achieved this with a staff ranging from just three to five people over the years—but there are so many people we need to thank.
Our extraordinary writers—a diverse mix including professional journalists, advocates and activists, academics, health care practitioners and people whose expertise is based on their lived experience—have been the lifeblood of this publication. It has been an honor to work with hundreds of writers, of all backgrounds, whose passion and knowledge of the issues are such that one of my key roles as editor has been to get out of the way.
I’m also awestruck by the talent and dedication of Filter’s staff, who have produced outstanding work week after week, often in difficult circumstances, because of how much they care about our issues. That’s Deputy Editor Kastalia Medrano, Senior Editor Helen Redmond and our honorary team member, Tobacco Harm Reduction Fellow Kiran Sidhu. It has been a privilege to work with them, and the links on their names will give you some idea of how they’ve shaped this publication with their distinctive styles and beats. Others have filled staff roles with great distinction in the past—the likes of Sessi Kuwabara Blanchard, Alex Norcia and Alexander Lekhtman. I’m indebted to them all.
That equally goes for all of Filter’s funders—from large foundations and companies right through to the many individual readers who were kind enough to make regular or one-off donations. Some of them even responded to our recent financial difficulties by increasing their support. It’s humbling when anyone believes in your project enough to part with actual money. Without these generous contributors, Filter would never have existed, let alone grown into what it was.
Something similar could be said of our organizational allies, such as Knowledge-Action-Change, the Drug Policy Alliance, the Global Forum on Nicotine, the National Harm Reduction Coalition and Marijuana Moment, which have collaborated with us or supported our work in various other ways.
All of us who’ve worked for Filter want to express our gratitude to the board of The Influence Foundation, our nonprofit entity—latterly Sheila Vakharia, Diane Goldstein, Morgan Godvin, Christine Rodriguez and Treasurer Phil Hur. We’ve been steered through periods of growth and choppy waters alike by their wisdom and expertise, which they’ve selflessly volunteered. I’ve personally been grateful year after year for their constructive guidance and support. Some of them wished to share a few words at this moment.
“I found Filter when I’d been out of prison barely a year, at a time when I still felt profoundly powerless,” Morgan said. “Filter treated the experiences that had so often been used to diminish people like me as expertise—it turned isolation into community and lived experience into public knowledge. The stories I wrote and read connected me with people all over the country and gave me friendships I still carry. My heart is heavy to lose Filter, but I will be proud of what we built here for the rest of my life.”
One of the board’s final tasks has been to arrange for Filter to stay online for some years after we end our operations, as a community resource. So if you’re here at some unknown point in the future, I hope you’ll dig through the archives and benefit from what you find.
Finally, a publication is nothing without its readers, and Filter’s have been exceptionally intelligent, engaged and committed. We have always appreciated your sharing and discussions, your feedback (of all kinds!) and your loyalty—which says some deeply encouraging things about the strength of support for harm reduction and human rights.
Filter’s journey is ending, but that doesn’t mean the journey wasn’t worth making. And when we look around us, we can only conclude that the ideas that drove it remain in inspiring hands.
“I helped build Filter because I believe people who use drugs deserve to be seen with dignity, not judged from a distance,” Diane said. “I never expected it would also become the place that helped me carry my brother’s memory. Watching it close feels like losing a piece of my own family—but everything it stood for, and everyone it reached, will outlast it.”
Thank you all for coming with us.
