Harm Reduction:

Harm reduction refers to policies, programmes and practices that aim to reduce the harms
associated with the use of psychoactive drugs in people unable or unwilling to stop.

The defining features are the focus on the prevention of harm, rather than on the prevention of drug
use itself, and the focus on people who continue to use drugs.

Definition

‘‘Harm Reduction’ refers to policies, programmes and practices that aim primarily to reduce the
adverse health, social and economic consequences of the use of legal and illegal psychoactive drugs
without necessarily reducing drug consumption.”

Harm reduction benefits people who use drugs, their families and the community.

Common Approaches:

Needle and Syringe exchange programme:

The use of some illicit drugs can involve hypodermic needles. In some areas these are available
solely by prescription. Where availability is limited, users of heroin and other drugs frequently share
the syringes and use them more than once. As a result infections such as HIV or hepatitis C can spread
from user to users through the reuse of syringes contaminated with infected blood.

The principles of harm reduction propose that syringes should be easily available or at least
available through a needle and syringe programmes (NSP). With this programme In many countries
users are supplied syringes, needles and equipment free of charge or with less cost.

Safe injection sites (SIS) or Drug consumption rooms (DCR):

These are legally sanctioned, medically supervised facilities designed to address public
nuisance associated with drug use and provide a hygienic and stress-free environment for drug
consumers.

The facilities provide sterile injection equipment, information about drugs and basic health
care, treatment referrals, and access to medical staff. Some offer counseling, hygienic and other
services of use to itinerant and impoverished individuals.
Substitute prescribing drug:

Substitute prescribing is another method of minimising harm. Patients who are dependent on
heroin can be offered alternative drugs such as methadone.

There are several potential advantages. The person can stop using heroin without experiencing
the discomfort of withdrawal symptoms. The criminal behaviour associated with heroin use is reduced
in two important ways – first by the switch to a prescribed drug from an illegal one, and second by
potentially reducing criminal activity to raise the money to buy heroin.

Alcohol:

 Increasing the time duration between two drinks

 Drinking more concentrated alcoholic beverages to less concentrated alcoholic beverages.

Naloxone distribution

In which the opioid inverse agonist drug naloxone (used to reverse opiate overdose) is

distributed. Established programmes distribute naloxone to drug users, their peers, family members,
and others.

Cannabis

Specific harms associated with cannabis include increased accident-rate while driving under
intoxication, dependence, psychosis, detrimental psychosocial outcomes for adolescent users and
respiratory disease. Strategies used to deal with those include roadside drug-testing to deter intoxicated
driving and education about patterns of use that increases the risk for dependence, mental health and
respiratory problems.

Tobacco

Tobacco harm reduction describes actions taken to lower the health risks associated with using
tobacco, especially combustible forms, without abstaining completely from tobacco and nicotine.
Some of these measures include switching to safer (lower tar) cigarettes, switching to snus or dipping
tobacco, or using a non-tobacco nicotine delivery systems.