You are here

Harm Reduction
Share
Share

Harm Reduction
National and International Perspectives

Edited by:

October 1999 | 248 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc

Harm reduction programs accept the reality of drug use while attempting to reduce its harmful consequences to individuals and society. This term, coined about 15 years ago in the U.K., has become a policy paradigm increasingly explored throughout most of the industrialized world. An example of a harm reduction program is the widely accepted substitution of methadone for the more "harmful" heroin. Programs that divert drug-involved offenders into treatment are another example of the operationalization of harm reduction policies.

In these 10 original chapters, international contributors discuss the philosophical basis and history of harm reduction policies and examine their outcome. They also cover controversial topics related to harm reduction, especially conflicts between the public health system where most programs are located, and a worldwide criminal justice system that further marginalizes drug users. Included in this book are descriptions of programs in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Australia.

The editors provide the context with a substantive introductory chapter focusing on the nature of harm reduction. The first part contains five chapters presenting the American perspectives on harm reduction; Part II includes five chapters presenting international perspectives from countries with particularly innovative harm reduction programs and policies.


James A. Inciardi and Lana D. Harrison
The Concept of Harm Reduction
Diane Riley and Pat O'Hare
Harm Reduction
History, Definition and Practice

 
Ernest Drucker
From Morphine to Methadone
Maintenance Drugs in the Treatment of Opiate Addiction

 
Sandra D. Lane et al
The Coming of Age of Needle Exchange
A History Through 1993

 
Lana D. Harrison
The Medicalization of Marijuana
Marsha Rosenbaum and Katherine Irwin
Pregnancy, Drugs and Harm Reduction
Dirk J. Korf and Ernst C. Buning
Coffee Shops, Low-Threshold Methadone, and Needle Exchange
Controlling Illicit Drug Use in the Netherlands

 
Hilary L. Surratt and Paulo R. Telles
The Harm Reduction Movement in Brazil
Issues and Experiences

 
Patricia G. Erickson
The Harm Minimization Option for Cannabis
History and Prospects in Canadian Drug Policy

 
Toni Makkai
Harm Reduction in Australia
Politics, Policy and Public Opinion

 
James A. Inciardi
The Harm Reduction Roles of the American Criminal Justice System

For instructors

Select a Purchasing Option


Rent or Buy eBook
ISBN: 9781452237077

Paperback
ISBN: 9780761906889
$105.00

This title is also available on SAGE Knowledge, the ultimate social sciences online library. If your library doesn’t have access, ask your librarian to start a trial.