The Ethics of Harm Reduction

Harm Reduction as defined on the “About the Harm Reduction Training Institute” web page, is an approach that aims to reduce the negative consequences of drug use through utilizing a full spectrum of strategies from safer drug use to moderation management to abstinence. Oriented toward working with the whole person, harm reduction programs and policies create environments and develop strategies for change that are practical, humane and effective. These programs meet their consumers "where they are at" to help them become more conscious of the harm in their lives and identify options for reducing those harms (About the Harm).

Because harm reduction demands that interventions and policies are designed to serve drug users by reflecting on specific individual and community needs, there is no universal definition or formula for implementing harm reduction. Harm reduction accepts, for better and for worse, that licit and illicit drug use is part of our world, and chooses to work to minimize its harmful effects rather than simply ignore or condemn them. Working with addicts, from a harm reduction perspective, involves accepting that some people simply are not going to give

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Approximate Word count = 2105
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)