Is harm reduction an effective approach to overcoming addiction?

  • The optimal way to truly beat addiction and prevent drug-related harm is an effective harm reduction strategy that targets drug use and includes prevention, education, treatment and law enforcement efforts.
  • Some examples of effective harm reduction strategies are drug courts, best practices treatment programs, 12 step organizations and methadone or other legally prescribed opioid substitution programs with the goal of ending drug use.
  • We should reject ineffective harm reduction tactics that ask society to accept drug use or allege that drugs can be used safely or responsibly, creating the misunderstanding that drug use itself is not harmful and increasing addiction.