Drugs: blanket ban or harm reduction?

Witch-hunt

Beginning two years ago, the US Dept of Health and Human Services began "special reviews" of all current research grants that involved harm reduction, sex and drugs, and continues its ban on funding of needle exchange. With Bush's second term, the campaign was extended to all US funded international programs that dealt with these issues and populations. And, most recently, the US has again unde...

A Plea for Harm Reduction Policing Involving People Who Use Drugs

Harm reduction in name, but not substance: a comparative analysis of current Canadian provincial and territorial policy frameworks

BACKGROUND In Canada, funding, administration, and delivery of health services-including those targeting people who use drugs-are primarily the responsibility of the provinces and territories. Access to harm reduction services varies across jurisdictions, possibly reflecting differences in provincial and territorial policy commitments. We examined the quality of current provincial and territori...

Alcohol management plans and related alcohol reforms

Alcohol Management Plans (AMPs) are a relatively new instrument joining the extensive range of regulations relating to alcohol supply and consumption. AMPs vary in design and implementation across Australia, and include strategies designed to reduce harms resulting from alcohol misuse. The majority of AMPs are based on the principle of harm minimisation and include supply, demand and harm reduc...

Public health or human rights: what comes first?

Respect for human rights is a defining feature of harm reduction, which is commonly characterised as a public health-based movement. The importance it attaches to ‘user-friendliness’ and the view that drug users have a right to the same respect and dignity that other users of health and social care services receive is largely undisputed among harm reductionists. Within harm reduction there is a...