Philosophical Statements: Harm Reduction


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PROGRAMS AND SERVICES MANUAL
POLICY
PHILOSOPHICAL STATEMENTS: HARM REDUCTION


The AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) affirms a policy of harm reduction in the delivery of education, support and advocacy programs and services.

In adopting harm reduction, ACT is committed to service provision for drug users that is pragmatic, respectful, collaborative, nonjudgemental and affirmative of choice. ACT affirms that its services are not conditional upon drug and alcohol abstinence. However, we recognize that drug or alcohol may, at times, be a barrier to an individual benefiting fully from a service. ACT staff and volunteers will engage individuals in these situations as much as possible given any limitations. (Also see Refusal of Service, PS # 2-50.)

Harm reduction is both a philosophy and a set of strategies to reduce health risks associated with drug use. Its underlying rationale is that the risk of HIV transmission and infection is a greater harm to a person's health than drug use. Its priority is to minimize the negative consequences related to drug use rather than reduce the prevalence of drug use.

Harm reduction:

- acknowledges that there is a continuum of risk involved in injection drug use, such as:

sharing used needles,

cleaning needles and works between use,

switching from injection drug use to non-injection drug use, and

abstaining from drug use.

- promotes any movement on the continuum of risk that reduces risk, therefore, abstaining from drug use is not the only acceptable goal.

- supports drug users to reduce their risk of HIV as much as possible.

- recognizes and accepts that not every drug user will choose to or be able to abstain entirely from drug use.

- supports the drug user to make informed decisions about what harms associated with
drug use he or she is willing to address and how.

- supports a variety of strategies for decreasing the harms associated with drug use, such as:

needle exchanges/clean needles distribution;

cleaning supplies to decrease the risk of HIV transmission;

using methadone to replace heroin; and

adequate treatment programs (both reduction and abstinence based) available for drug users who seek this as an option.

- addresses larger social issues which have an impact on drug use and services for drug users:

confronting the stigma associated with drug use through community education, particularly to social service providers and the police and through advocacy.

advocacy for social change - that drug use be viewed as a health issue, not a criminal issue.

References:

Adapted from notes provided by the Harm Reduction Coalition - HIV/AIDS subcommittee, August, 1996.

Harm Reduction as Community Health, Kim Stanford, 1997.

Harm Reduction Principles and HIV/AIDS: A Document for Discussion, Canadian AIDS Society, March, 1997.