Harm Reduction

From Harm Reduction International

1. Respect the rights of people who use drugs. Harm reduction is grounded in principles that aim to protect human rights and improve public health. Treating people who use drugs, 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.

2. 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.

3. 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. Further, the meaningful involvement of people who use drugs in designing, implementing and evaluating programs and policies that serve them is central to harm reduction.

4. The avoidance of stigma. Harm reduction practitioners accept people who use drugs as they are and are committed to meeting them “where they are” in their lives without judgement. Terminology and language should always convey respect and avoid stigmatizing terms or divisions between “good” and “bad” drugs. Stigmatizing language perpetuates harmful stereotypes, and creates barriers to health and social services.