Harm Reduction

Question 1

Drugs related harm

Answer 1

Bristol: sudden rise in deaths, 33 in 2014 up to 65
EU: likely to double if all causes of drug user deaths were induced. All deaths were preventable. Finite resources aren’t effectively allocated to avoid harm (MP report)

Question 2

Policy UK

Answer 2

2002- very broad approach
2008- focus on harm reduction and recovery.
2017- world free of drugs, no mention of harm recovery.

Question 3

Defining harm

Answer 3

16 criteria by independent scientific committee on drugs.
Over all harm and harm to user.
Divided into social, psychological, physical.
overall harm divided into impact on society, environmental harm, relationships, international damage etc

Question 4

Drug related harm

Answer 4

Alcohol causes the most harm overall and to others. Heroin causes highest crime. Cocaine highest dependence. Class A doesn’t cause the most harm. Tobacco worst for morbidity.

Question 5

Issues with government approach

Answer 5

Fails to understand motivation behind drug use and assessment of risk. Public health campaigns often undermine government message of abstinence.

Question 6

Issues with harms based approach

Answer 6

Harm isn’t the only concern. Nutt found ecstasy and horse riding are as harmful as each other but only one is illegal.
Claimed drugs should be based on actual evidence of harm. Accused ministers of devaluing and distorting scientific evidence 2008 and was fired 2009.
Policy makers have a huge influence but ignore the science.

Question 7

Reducing drug related harms

Answer 7

Need to identify main cause of harm. For tobacco is combustion of substance. Heroin is the LD50, injections of wound sites and crime.
MDMA, adulterated pills, dehydration and hyperthermia.

Question 8

Take home Naloxone

Answer 8

Emergency antidote to opioid overdose. Supplied by drug treatment workers, majority of people with dependence have overdosed.
It’s not enough, there are still it’s of associated risks.