While people in recovery have become more vocal in advocating for public-policy changes, a New York group is seeking to empower individuals who remain active drug users, as well.

The Village Voice reported March 6 that Louie Jones, 40, has been canvassing the city to recruit members to the VOCAL NY User's Union. The group currently has 20-30 members, each paying annual dues of $20. "VOCAL is the union of drug users and our allies," a recruiting pamphlet explains. "We drug users and our allies need to be involved when drug-related policies are being discussed."

Jones scouts out known areas where drug users congregate, seeking recruits for an advocacy model pioneered in cities like Amsterdam and Vancouver. He says that the goal is to get drug users to take responsibility for their health and supporting each other through peer-to-peer interaction. Members meet regularly, take part in demonstrations calling for improved social services, and work to fight addiction stigma. Abstinence is not a requirement to participate.

Jones says that New York offers a variety of services to people in recovery, but little to those who are still using. "You think of a group of users and you think of chaos," said Jones. "It's not chaos. It's about the concept of harm reduction."

Challenges include run-ins with the police -- who can scare away potential recruits -- and members who periodically disappear because they get sick or go off on a binge. Funding is scarce, because few charities or government agencies want to support active users.

VOCAL's recruiting tools are unconventional: handouts of clean condoms, syringes, and crack pipes to prevent the spread of HIV and hepatitis. But recruiters also educate users about treatment options.