Harm Reduction Policies regarding Youth Drug Misuse - Essay Example

Harm Reduction The harms associated with youth drug use concerns not only the affected individual but society as a whole as well. As a reasonable approach to the problem, many countries including the UK have adopted ‘harm reduction’ policies, a method which identifies solutions designed to diminish the detriments caused to communities by youth drug use. This method reaches well beyond the past failed experiment of simply enforcing increasingly stricter laws intended to punish offenders by focusing on the individual user’s needs. The change in tactic by the more progressive nations in the world is primarily due to the realization that a consistent portion of the population will use drugs which includes alcohol and tobacco however this discussion speaks primarily to the illegal variety. The current illegal drug strategy in the UK is four-fold. One, educating young persons in the dangers of misusing drugs; two, law enforcement initiatives designed to keep communities safe from drug-related and criminal behaviour and three, disrupt the supply of drugs. The fourth part of the strategy is harm reduction techniques (“Harm Reduction”, 2002). The goal of harm reduction is to do simply that for both individual and community without regard for personal ideological, legal or moral opinions of drug use. Government sponsored programs and treatment for drug users allows an opportunity for early intervention and education or, for the habitual user, a supply source for controlled narcotic distribution and unused syringes. Access to controlled amounts of narcotics or their synthetic equivalent ensures the drug’s pureness and takes away the need to commit crimes for drug money. A ‘clean needle program’ slows the spread of the HIV virus, hepatitis and other blood-borne illnesses. The benefit to both individual and community is clear (“AIDS and Drug Misuse”, 1988). The community method of harm reduction incorporates outreach services as its main intercession technique. This is opposed to the traditional, functional approach which operates from a fixed and often inconvenient location. Agencies are situated mainly within marginalized communities and open at opportune times so as to be more accessible to the drug user. In addition, agency workers go to the user if necessary. The workers interact differently in the community method. Instead of outlining a prescribed path of wellness to the user, they inquire as to the needs of the user. “Needs will be expressed, often having nothing to do with the reduction of substance use. Making connections by helping them in other ways can reduce harm and open the door to further intervention” (Westermeyer, 2003). Other countries employing harm reduction policies in addressing youth drug users include The Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and Canada. Generally, the major motivating factor to develop harm reduction programmes and policies in these countries was the recognition that sharing syringes contributed to the transmission of HIV. First introduced in 1987, needle exchange programmes are widespread today and are viewed as an essential component of comprehensive drug abuse services. The more than 2000 Needle exchange programmes in the UK, operated by outreach agencies, local health authorities and retail druggists provide educational literature, bleach and condoms in addition to supplying at least 27 million syringes each year (“Harm Reduction”, 2002). Without the harm reduction approach to intravenous drug use, HIV would spread more rapidly which would affect the non-drug using community as well. “The police recognize that they [needle exchanges] have an important role. UK police have been very positive about harm reduction and treatment” (“Harm Reduction”, 2002). The term harm reduction has been used since 1987 (Newcombe, 1987) but this realistic approach to the youth drug problem stems from the 1926 publication of the Rolleston Report which proposed the feasibility of facilitating the opiate addict’s need for the drug (Strang & Gossop, 1996). Physicians in the UK, unlike many other countries such as the U.S., have never been prohibited from prescribing methadone, heroin and amphetamines to drug addicts. However, cocaine cannot be dispersed in this manner (“Harm Reduction”, 2002). The harm reduction method is the reasonable approach to the youth drug problem because it acknowledges the realities of the various problems associated with drug use and attempts to provide workable solutions. Many users will not stop using regardless of the personal consequences and will turn to crimes such as robbery and prostitution to support their habit. This harms the community at-large. The harms users inflict upon themselves are usually as a result of injecting drugs that are of an unknown strength or composition, sharing infected syringes and suffering the degradation of prostitution or other various criminal activities. Law enforcement plays a part in the harm to both individual and community. By confiscating a user’s drugs, this forces the user to obtain a new supply by possibly committing another crime. Additionally, locking up casual users who have committed no crime other than the use itself serves no useful purpose and overcrowds the prison system. This causes further public expense and forces the early release of violent criminals (Veale, 1994). Harm reduction policies generally regard moderation or abstinence as the best way to avoid drug-related issues but realise that this is not the lone resolution for drug related problems. The harm reduction ideology discards the idealistic vision of a society that is free of drug use. It instead emphasizes the necessity to create drug policies that acknowledge drugs are and will continue to be a part of society and seeks solutions that minimise the resulting harm. Within this ideology, distinctions are made between misusing and casually using drugs as well as the types of drugs (Zinberg, 1984). ‘Zero tolerance’ policies are viewed as counter-productive. They cause much greater degree of harms to the greater good than they remedy. These harsh policies do not support the concept of human rights or civil liberties and serve to overburden the justice system. The philosophy of harm reduction do not view youths who use illegal drugs as criminals who are a menace to society and should be banished in prison but as kids who for whatever reason decide to use drugs and may now be severely under its addictive influence. Harm reduction policies support integrating the youth users back into a community, not separating them. The main concern of harm reduction policies is assuring the maximum number of habitual drugs users are exposed to public health care facilities, drug outreach and treatment options. Laws regarding drug use are thought of as “not as moral absolutes to be enforced indiscriminately, but as part and parcel of broader public health and social welfare policies which emphasize pragmatism and inclusiveness” (Nadelman et al, 1994). Harm reduction policies geared towards youths require a commitment by the government to place outreach agencies in at-risk areas. This pragmatic approach, if made readily available to those that need it, have proven to reduce the risk of harm for both the afflicted individual and society as a whole. The UK has been one of the countries to lead the way in this reasonable, humane method of easing the problems caused by drug misuse. References “AIDS and Drug Misuse, Part 1.” (1988). Report of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. London: Her Majesty’s Stationary Office. “Harm Reduction in the United Kingdom.” (30 March, 2002). Hepatitis Resource Library. Public Health Agency of Canada. Available 2 May 2007 from Nadelmann, Ethan; Cohen, Peter; Drucker, Ernest; Locher, Ueli; Stimson, Gerry; & Wodak, Alex. (April 1994). The Harm Reduction Approach to Drug Control: International Progress. Paranoia. Available 2 May 2007 from Newcombe, R. (1987). “High Time for Harm Reduction.” Druglink. Vol. 2, N. 1, pp. 10-11. Strang, J. & Gossop, M. (October 1996). “Heroin Prescribing in the British System: A Historical Review.” European Addiction Research. Vol. 2, N. 4, pp. 185-193. Veale, Jacob. (1994). “Harm Reduction and the Community.” International Journal of Drug Policy. DrugText Foundation. Available 2 May 2007 from Westermeyer, Robert W. (29 August, 2003). “Reducing Harm: A Very Good Idea.” HabitSmart. Available 2 May 2007 from Zinberg, Norman E. (1984). Drug, Set and Setting. New Haven: Yale University Press. Read More