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Principles of harm reduction Respecting the rights of people who use drugs - Harm reduction is fundamentally grounded in principles that aim to protect human rights and improve public health. Treating people who use drugs—along with their families and communities—with compassion and dignity is integral to harm reduction. The use of drugs does not mean people forfeit their human rights - they remain entitled to the right to life, to the highest attainable standard of health, to social services, to privacy, to freedom from arbitrary detention and to freedom from cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, among others.
A commitment to evidence - Harm reduction policies and practices are informed by a strong body of evidence that shows interventions to be practical, feasible, effective, safe and cost-effective in diverse social, cultural and economic settings. Most harm reduction interventions are easy to implement and inexpensive, and all have a strong positive impact on individual and community health.
A commitment to social justice and collaborating with networks of people who use drugs - Harm reduction is rooted in a commitment to addressing discrimination and ensuring that nobody is excluded from the health and social services they may need because of their drug use, their race, their gender, their gender identity, their sexual orientation, their choice of work, or their economic status. People should be able to access services without having to overcome unnecessary barriers, including burdensome, discriminatory regulations.
A commitment to evidence - Harm reduction policies and practices are informed by a strong body of evidence that shows interventions to be practical, feasible, effective, safe and cost-effective in diverse social, cultural and economic settings. Most harm reduction interventions are easy to implement and inexpensive, and all have a strong positive impact on individual and community health.
A commitment to social justice and collaborating with networks of people who use drugs - Harm reduction is rooted in a commitment to addressing discrimination and ensuring that nobody is excluded from the health and social services they may need because of their drug use, their race, their gender, their gender identity, their sexual orientation, their choice of work, or their economic status. People should be able to access services without having to overcome unnecessary barriers, including burdensome, discriminatory regulations.
Harm Reduction values life, choice, respect and compassion over judgment, discrimination, stigma and punishment. Harm reduction believes everyone deserves to be safe no matter what choice they make. It is a realistic approach believing not everyone is ready for complete abstinence, but everyone deserves drug use safety. Harm reduction meets the individual where they are and allows them to be an active participant in deciding their course of treatment, if any. Harm reduction principals and policies prevent the spread of disease, prolong and/or save lives.
Goals of harm reduction Harm reduction is grounded in the recognition that many people throughout the world are unable or unwilling to stop using illicit drugs. It therefore aims to:Keep people alive and encourage positive change in their lives - Keeping people who use drugs alive and protecting their health are the most urgent priorities. Harm reduction approaches are facilitative rather than coercive, and aim to reinforce positive change in a person’s life, no matter how small or incremental that change may be. Recognizing that only a small percentage of people who use drugs experience problematic use, harm reduction may also help people maximize any potential benefits that they gain from using drugs. Reduce the harms of drug laws and policy - Harm reduction seeks to improve drug laws, policies and law enforcement practices, so that they are not detrimental to the health and wellbeing of people who use drugs and their communities. Many policies around the world create and exacerbate the potential risk and harms of drug use. These include: the criminalization of people who use drugs; abusive and corrupt policing practices; the denial of life-saving medical care and harm reduction services; restrictions on possession of injecting paraphernalia; forced urine testing and detention in the name of rehabilitation; and, discrimination based on drug use, class, race, and gender. Harm reduction challenges international and national laws, and policies that contribute to drug-related harms. Offer alternatives to approaches that seek to prevent or end drug use - Access to high quality, evidence-based prevention, care and treatment programs, including approaches that involve cessation of drug use, are important for some people. Entry into treatment should be on the terms of the individual and must never be forced. Many people who use drugs do not need treatment, and those experiencing problems associated with drug use may be unwilling or unable to enter abstinence-only treatment for myriad reasons. While abstinence from drug use may be the goal for some people who use drugs this is an individual choice and should not be imposed, or regarded as the only option.
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WHAT IS SYRINGE EXCHANGE?Syringe exchange programs are one of the most effective public health interventions for decreasing the transmission rates of HIV and other blood borne diseases such as hepatitis C, as well as connect users to treatment and other important needs such as housing or food assistance.
In states with legalized syringe exchange programs, people who use injection drugs turn in their used or “dirty” needles in exchange for unused, clean needles By expanding access to clean syringes and ensuring a safe way to dispose of bio-hazardous materials, syringe exchange programs create safer environments for the community at large. Additionally, syringe exchange programs are shown to lead to a 66% reduction in needle-stick injury to law enforcement. Click here to read more on why law enforcement in North Carolina support syringe exchange programs.
While it is a common myth that syringe exchange programs encourage, enable or increase drug use, as well as crime, decades of research from organizations including the World Health Organization and the American Medical Association, show that syringe exchange programs do none of those. In fact, many studies demonstrate that syringe exchange programs decrease drug use by connecting otherwise marginalized people to treatment. It is estimated that syringe exchange program participants are five times more likely to enter drug treatment than non-participants. https://www.harmreductionohio.org/ohio-syringe-programs-new-hro-list-with-all-locations-and-hours/
In states with legalized syringe exchange programs, people who use injection drugs turn in their used or “dirty” needles in exchange for unused, clean needles By expanding access to clean syringes and ensuring a safe way to dispose of bio-hazardous materials, syringe exchange programs create safer environments for the community at large. Additionally, syringe exchange programs are shown to lead to a 66% reduction in needle-stick injury to law enforcement. Click here to read more on why law enforcement in North Carolina support syringe exchange programs.
While it is a common myth that syringe exchange programs encourage, enable or increase drug use, as well as crime, decades of research from organizations including the World Health Organization and the American Medical Association, show that syringe exchange programs do none of those. In fact, many studies demonstrate that syringe exchange programs decrease drug use by connecting otherwise marginalized people to treatment. It is estimated that syringe exchange program participants are five times more likely to enter drug treatment than non-participants. https://www.harmreductionohio.org/ohio-syringe-programs-new-hro-list-with-all-locations-and-hours/
FAST FACTS
Sharing a needle or syringe to inject any type of substance (including steroids, hormones or silicone) puts you at risk of HIV and other infections found in the blood like hepatitis C. This applies whether injecting under the skin or directly into the blood stream.Sharing needles and syringes is not the only risk. Sharing water to clean injecting equipment, reusing containers to dissolve drugs, and reusing filters can also transmit HIV.To reduce transmission risk avoid shared needles and other injecting equipment, use a new or disinfected container and a new filter each time you prepare drugs, and use clean water when preparing drugs.
Sharing a needle or syringe to inject any type of substance (including steroids, hormones or silicone) puts you at risk of HIV and other infections found in the blood like hepatitis C. This applies whether injecting under the skin or directly into the blood stream.Sharing needles and syringes is not the only risk. Sharing water to clean injecting equipment, reusing containers to dissolve drugs, and reusing filters can also transmit HIV.To reduce transmission risk avoid shared needles and other injecting equipment, use a new or disinfected container and a new filter each time you prepare drugs, and use clean water when preparing drugs.
Misconceptions and Harm ReductionDoesn’t naloxone encourage drug use?No, research has shown that naloxone does not encourage drug use. Reversing an opioid overdose using naloxone gives someone a second, third, fourth chance at life and a chance to get into treatment if one so chooses.
Can naloxone be abused or be harmful?No, naloxone has no potential for abuse. Its sole purpose is to reverse an opioid overdose and if administered by mistake, there are no harmful effects.
Can naloxone be abused or be harmful?No, naloxone has no potential for abuse. Its sole purpose is to reverse an opioid overdose and if administered by mistake, there are no harmful effects.
Is stigma really a factor in obtaining effective treatment? Yes, and as long as drug users are criminalized, we will have stigma and as long as we have stigma, we will have drug related deaths.
“In this world, those who use drugs suffer from the hate and stigma of others. It is not justified. Addiction is not about choice. Addiction is not about willpower. It is a physical, medical, disorder. My son, as are others, was ill. But instead of the help he needed he received ineffective treatment. Again and again, because of that stigma, because of the ignorance that underlies that stigma, he was denied the treatment that may have saved his life.” Denise Cullen, E.D. of Broken No More and GRASP.
“In this world, those who use drugs suffer from the hate and stigma of others. It is not justified. Addiction is not about choice. Addiction is not about willpower. It is a physical, medical, disorder. My son, as are others, was ill. But instead of the help he needed he received ineffective treatment. Again and again, because of that stigma, because of the ignorance that underlies that stigma, he was denied the treatment that may have saved his life.” Denise Cullen, E.D. of Broken No More and GRASP.
