As the war on drugs rages on, many question its effectiveness. For decades, the policy of law enforcement agencies has been to restrict the supply of drugs, and to treat those who use drugs as criminals. Meanwhile, experts in the medical and legal field suggest that the war on drugs has not only failed to solve the issue; it has actually made things worse.
“Harm reduction is a framework based on science and human values.”
According to Dr. Ethan Nadelmann, founder and former director of the Drug Policy Alliance as well as a prominent critic of the war on drugs, “Drugs are here to stay whether we like it or not, and we needed to cope with it by building a framework based on science and human values”. One such approach is harm reduction.
Harm reduction strategies have gained further recognition and traction worldwide since 2020. Governments, NGOs, and public health organizations are increasingly acknowledging the effectiveness of harm reduction approaches in addressing substance use issues.
What is Harm Reduction?
The harm reduction approach incorporates policies, programmes and practices aimed to minimise the negative health, social and legal impact of drug use on users and to communities. This evidence-based, justice and human rights approach does not require people to stop using drugs. Rather it seeks to accomplish positive change by reducing drug-related deaths through non-judgemental, non-discriminative and non-coercion methods.
Keeping someone alive, so that they have the opportunity to make changes seems obvious. However, how you do it is not always as straightforward as providing a drug-free safe space with food and water. Many people who use drugs do not need treatment and those who need it may not want to go into a treatment facility. Furthermore, coercive methods are largely ineffective in facilitating lasting change.
“Harm reduction does not enforce behaviour change, it aims to provide viable options.”
Harm reduction recognises that world-wide there are many people who are unable or unwilling to stop using drugs. Instead of focusing on enforcing behaviour change amongst drug users, the grounding principles of Harm Reduction seek to:
- Preserve the rights of those who use drugs
- Roll out evidence-based interventions
- Decrease discrimination through stakeholder collaboration
- Address stigma
- Positively impact individual and community health
5 Goals of Harm Reduction are to:
- Keep people alive
- Protect people’s health
- Encourage positive change in lives
- Reduce the harm of drug policies and laws
- Offer alternative drug prevention, care and treatment programmes
Harm Reduction and Health Care Programmes
Often harm reduction programmes, for example, those aimed at people who inject drugs (PWID), are dovetailed with other health initiatives such as hepatitis or HIV prevention, treatment and care health packages. Regional data shows that HIV prevalence in PWID is high in all parts of the world. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO)
