Kevin Ergil: Combating drug abuse with harm reduction (Published in The Citizen, 2020)
Harm reduction is a well-established approach to the problem of substance abuse, particularly opioid addiction. Among its core principles, harm reduction "accepts, for better and or 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” (Harm Reduction Coalition, 2020). The harm reduction model was first developed in the 1980s by individuals who saw the punitive approaches of the criminal justice system and abstinence-only recovery programs as factors that increased the stigma, risk and harm associated with addiction. Harm reduction advocates considering drug addiction as a public health issue that affects not just the drug user, but their friends, family and community. Harm reduction is a method to reduce the personal, social, health and economic costs of drug use with the ultimate goal of recovery from addiction...