Assisted Injection Facilities: Harm Reduction through Social Justice - Essay Example

This gave birth to the Harm Reduction Action Society On May 4, 2000, with a mission to take harm reduction measures to save lives. By definition, harm reduction is a program aimed at reducing the adverse health, social and economic impacts of drug use without abstinence from the substance.

The harm reduction approach omits abstinence as an important goal. However, they seek to use comprehensive measures to reach those that are unable to abstain from the drug. It had strategic purposes to support its mission listed as; improving the quality of life for the illicit drug users and their environment, harm reduction and health promotion, and empowering the illicit users to live productively. This led to the formation of safe injection centers that administer the drugs safely to the addicts.

This essay will present a sustained analysis of the social and economic impact of the assisted injection facility located in Vancouver. In particular, I argue out the pros and cons of the facility using a two-part survey, in chronological order. First, I will consider materials crediting this facility, then to those that show its disadvantages written from 2000 till recent. I will show give brief accounts that indicate the demand for these facilities.

A rough estimate of 15,000 people inject illicit drugs, this excludes the occasional users. Injection drugs are often accompanied by severe health and social consequences for the users and their society at large. Increased infections, death, and the accompanying costs are the distressing indicators of harm experienced within our society. These problems have grown immensely over the years and drastic measures should be taken.

Safe injection facilities have remained an integral part of effective harm reduction strategies placed in Europe. They are associated with an array of positive health and social results including; less drug use, fewer drug-related overdoses, reduced disease transmission, less public nuisance associated with drug abuse, less drug-related crime, and more drug users referred for treatment. These centers also help in sustaining contact with the most marginalized and chaotic users who inject in public. Let us now view the Vancouver context.

An estimated 10-20% of injective drug users reside in Vancouver. This population has experienced increased HIV/AIDS prevalence, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and other problems associated with drug use. This has led to several shortcomings including; drug overdose and drug-induced deaths, drug-affected newborns, costs to the health care system, Infectious diseases prevalence, and the general economic cost of drug abuse. How does the safe injection center combat this?

Efforts to address the drug problem in Vancouver have been largely ineffective. While some have emphasized that current prohibitionist laws and enforcement strategies have reduced the drug problem, others have highlighted the lack of proper services for drug users. This however has not been the case ever since the introduction of these safe injection facilities in 2000.