Harm Reduction Effective and Incomplete
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2018/03/03
In terms of the overdose crisis, some experts claim that the innovations in the harm reduction methodology in practice do not suffice in order to reduce the opioid crisis efficiently or are limited.
Of course, harm reduction policies save far more lives and reduce the harm caused from the drug misuse throughout the country, especially, in contrast, stark contrast, to the punitive approach currently in vogue within the country akin to the American system.
British Columbia is host to some of the more progressive policies and practices of harm reduction including the distribution of prescription grade heroin in addition to supervised injection sites tied to vending machines.
However, British Columbia is also facing one of the highest rates of death if not the highest rate of death due to overdose out of all provinces or territories with more than 1,400 people dying of illicit drug use in 2017 alone.
Donald MacPherson is the director of the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition. He said, “The envelope is being pushed because of the desperate situation and no one really knows what to do, because we’ve never seeing anything like this before… But if we had another public policy that had failed as dramatically as our drug policy over the past few years, we’d say this is a catastrophic failure.”
The toxicity of the drug supply is one major concern. Another major concern is the stigma attached to the drug use and misuse throughout the country.
It makes the discussion difficult. It makes public action also difficult. But harm reduction, especially in British Columbia, has been a direct reaction, proactive reaction, to these for deaths in the province.
References
CBC News. (2018, January 31). More than 1,420 people died of illicit-drug overdoses in B.C. in 2017, the ‘most tragic year ever’: coroner. Retrieved
from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/overdose-deaths-bc-2017-1.4511918.
Ghoussob, M. (2018, February 3). Innovations in harm reduction can’t curb ‘catastrophic’ overdose crisis, say experts. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british columbia/innovations-in-harm-reduction-can-t-curb-catastrophic-overdose-crisis-say-experts 1.4509136.
Turner, G. (2017, July 31). City, On Drugs. Retrieved
from http://www.cbc.ca/radio/ondrugs/city-on-drugs-1.4230969?autoplay=true.
Wilson, D. (2017, December 20). Could vending machines help solve B.C.’s opioid overdose crisis?. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/dilaudid-vending machine-solution-opioid-overdose-tyndall-1.4458358.
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