Morgan E. Godvin

Morgan Godvin is a student at the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health in Portland, where she was born and raised. She is a person in long-term recovery. As a harm reductionist, she performs syringe exchange, naloxone distribution, overdose prevention outreach, and infectious disease testing. In addition to her studies, she works as a freelance writer covering topics of drug policy and criminal justice. She received her Emergency Medical Technician certification from Portland Community College in 2012.

 

While in active addiction she was arrested and jailed many times, eventually being sentenced to five years in federal prison. Her activism and advocacy now center around reducing the harms associated with drug use, preventing overdose death, and improving access to higher education in prison. She is a member of the Oregon Consortium for Higher Education in Prison. 

 

She has been a consumer of harm reduction, treatment, and recovery services throughout the state. Her mother died of a prescription drug overdose in 2013 and she has lost many close friends to overdose. Merging lived experience with academic education and governmental action, she was confirmed to the Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission in February of 2020.